They have a fantastic security team here. I really like Goffin, a great player. Looking back, everyone except Andy I think was a bit shocked that he had pulled it off. That was the first game of the match so it stood us in good stead for the rest.
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I don’t really want to linger on David Lloyd’s remarks too much – social media seems to have battered him enough – except to say that he claims it isn’t about winning, yet as long as they’re not winning ugly and dubiously, it’s always the winners, the champions, the most successful, that inspire.
The team is now practising in earnest, so just what are the playing conditions?
Britain have not won the title since 1936, and Henman admitted: “I didn’t think it was possible”. In the two matches (France and Australia) in which Murray played 3 ties, Britain were thankful for the superb play of the other Murray, brother Jamie, in the doubles to see us to victory. “The transition has been fine”, he said. But the security threat level in Ghent remains at level three, the same as London where the ATP World Tour finals were held last week and where Premier League football matches have gone without a hitch since the bombings.
“The last five years it’s been a progression from a pretty low place in world tennis to playing for the biggest team competition”. “It’s obviously helped me physically to go to South America and play on the clay”.
If things do go ahead as planned, with play beginning at on Friday at 12.30pm GMT, sniffer dogs and explosive experts will constantly patrol the venue. “But I liked it”.
The biggest problem Murray has at the moment is getting used to the court. That’s the most important thing for him to do, to concentrate on his preparation and performance on the court. It would be well-deserved, as well.
“We’ve played in front of our fans to know what the atmosphere is like when it’s been on our side”. It’s taken five years. “It would be big for everyone involved, for sure”.
“Leon probably wanted to announce it a little bit earlier but the situation was all a little bit tense at the weekend when we didn’t know whether we were coming or not”.
This was the first time in the competition’s history that all four of the nominated singles players – Italy’s Andrea Gaudenzi and Davide Sanguinetti and Sweden’s Magnus Norman and Magnus Gustafsson – were ranked outside the top 30.
World No. 2 Andy Murray has won all of his matches this season in Davis Cup play (six singles rubbers and two doubles matches with his brother Jamie). James Ward was the hero in the first round when he defeated John Isner 15-13 in the 5 set to give Great Britain a 2-0 lead. Britain will attempt a historical 10th win at the tournament against Belgium, who took advantage of being the host nation as they opted to play on clay court.
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“As of today there are no changes to the previously published start times for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Belgium and Great Britain”.
