Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Watching Andy Murray from prison was joyful

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To play this video you need JavaScript enabled in your browser. < /figure>By William McLennanBBC News

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been in solitary confinement for months, separated from her husband and young daughter, when her Iranian jailers told her brought a rare glimmer of joy.

In July 2016, after months without books or newspapers, she gained access to a television with two channels - one showing Iranian soap operas, the another of the Wimbledon tennis matches.

"They had no idea what they gave me," she said.

From the notorious Evin prison, she watched Andy Murray win his second Wimbledon title on center court - over 3,000 miles from his prison cell, but just over an hour by tube from her home in North London.

More than six years later - and nine months after her release - the 45-year-old met Murray and shared the personal significance of that game, as part of his guest edition of Radio 4's Today show.

"I've always been a big fan of you, but I was also in solitary confinement to watch the game that you actually won at the end," she told Murray. "I can't tell you how happy it was and I was thrilled to see you win."

She had sworn to send an e e-mailed Murray upon his release and hoped to find tickets to attend the following year's final, she recalls.

"It never happened because I was in jail for so long," she said.

< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Later, after being released from solitary confinement, Nazanin taught the other inmates Murray's name and the story of his tournament victory.

"It felt like a connection, it felt like an escape," she said. "...

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Watching Andy Murray from prison was joyful

This video cannot be played

To play this video you need JavaScript enabled in your browser. < /figure>By William McLennanBBC News

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been in solitary confinement for months, separated from her husband and young daughter, when her Iranian jailers told her brought a rare glimmer of joy.

In July 2016, after months without books or newspapers, she gained access to a television with two channels - one showing Iranian soap operas, the another of the Wimbledon tennis matches.

"They had no idea what they gave me," she said.

From the notorious Evin prison, she watched Andy Murray win his second Wimbledon title on center court - over 3,000 miles from his prison cell, but just over an hour by tube from her home in North London.

More than six years later - and nine months after her release - the 45-year-old met Murray and shared the personal significance of that game, as part of his guest edition of Radio 4's Today show.

"I've always been a big fan of you, but I was also in solitary confinement to watch the game that you actually won at the end," she told Murray. "I can't tell you how happy it was and I was thrilled to see you win."

She had sworn to send an e e-mailed Murray upon his release and hoped to find tickets to attend the following year's final, she recalls.

"It never happened because I was in jail for so long," she said.

< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Later, after being released from solitary confinement, Nazanin taught the other inmates Murray's name and the story of his tournament victory.

"It felt like a connection, it felt like an escape," she said. "...

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