David Goffin, who has won all four singles matches for Belgium this year, will open the final against Britain’s world No. 100 Kyle Edmund – the 20-year-old will be the first player to make his Davis Cup debut in the final since 2003. Murray then plays Ruben Bemelmans, who was surprisingly picked over higher ranked Steve Darcis.
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First Murray must dispatch Ruben Bemelmans in Saturday’s singles, then link arms with brother Jamie for Saturday’s doubles.
It’s also interesting to see how a top singles player can claim two fantastic victories, only to see his team lose the tie.
The last time Great Britain won the Davis Cup was in 1936.
Novak Djokovic has favoured the Great Britain over Belgium to win this year’s Davis Cup this weekend in Ghent.
Edmund will make his Davis Cup debut while the spearhead of the British challenge, Andy Murray, is aiming to become the first man in more than 30 years to win all eight of his Davis Cup singles matches in a season. I’ve been in that position a lot of times in my career and I will be able to deal with it okay.
Smith might be thinking that Ward will be his insurance for the fifth rubber on Sunday if Edmund freezes on the big occasion.
The second rubber appears something of a mismatch, with left-hander Bemelmans having won just three matches on the ATP Tour this year, compared to Murray’s 69 wins and four titles. “It’s a big opportunity for all of us, but I believe that we prepared as best we can”. “I know from my own experience of being the Fed Cup captain that when you’re sitting on the bench with somebody, and trying to build a team spirit, it’s much easier to get a performance out of players if you know them very well as people”.
Murray has been a loyal supporter of his compatriots wherever they are playing around the world and sat in among the fans at the French Open to cheer on Edmund during his first-round win over Stephane Robert in May.
“There was no way that Andy and Jamie wouldn’t be playing this rubber”, Smith explained. “Two-one after day two and I think Andy is going to seal the tie on the Sunday”. He made his feelings clear in a tweet: “Do you honestly think this will make him play?”
“To win the biggest team competition in tennis, having beaten the other three Grand Slam nations, I think it would be a huge victory for everyone in the team”, he said.
Nov 26 Andy Murray has done a diligent job updating the dusty British tennis history books and if all goes to plan another chapter will be written in the Belgium city of Ghent this weekend. “My first match of the Davis Cup for my country is exciting in itself”.
Mark Cox, part of the last British side to reach the Davis Cup Final in 1978, says Murray is more likely to respond to the super-charged atmosphere inside the 13,000-seat venue. “It a new experience for me”. Asked if anyone had hit the ceiling girders in practice (they are a few centimetres lower than regulations stipulate), he said: “Some of Leon’s forehands have ended up in there but I don’t think it’s affected any of us really”.
“We expected Kyle to be the number two player. I think the whole country will be behind us and we’ll try to keep the trophy here”.
Seven of GB’s nine wins were won in just one match – they also got a bye to the final in 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1934 and 1935 with five of those six matches at home.
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Murray said: “I know his game a bit, but actually I don’t know the Belgian players that well because I’ve never played against any of them except Goffin”.
