Everyone, when they’ve been asked to, has stepped up and performed extremely well in the Davis Cup.
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Andy Murray admits his participation in the Davis Cup next year is not guaranteed in what is set to be a hectic campaign.
Edmund’s inexperience could then prove a crucial factor, particularly given that Belgian number two Darcis has an excellent record in deciding rubbers.
“He has put in a huge effort to get the team to the final”, the 29-year-old, who qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals with partner John Peers, told Reuters.
The relative weakness of Belgium’s doubles pair in comparison to Britain’s previous opponents may well have persuaded Smith that he did not need the insurance of Inglot.
Take out the fact that one of the outsiders is going to emerge victorious from this season’s competition, and are there really that many storylines left to unfold?
The central figure in the Friday to Sunday clash at the 13,000-capacity Flanders Expo is undoubtedly British number one Murray. We will try to get them involved as much as we can, as much as we are allowed to.
With the chance to see their nation lift the trophy for the first time in their lifetime – Britain has not won the biggest team prize in men’s tennis since 1936 – they were undeterred by security concerns urging the avoidance of crowded spaces such as sports events and proceeded with long-anticipated travel plans.
Defending the Belgian colour in the port city of Ghent will be a familiar line-up of World No. 16 David Goffin, No. 84 Steve Darcis, No. 108 Ruben Bemelmans and No. 128 Kimmer Coppejans, the same four-man lineup which propelled Belgium to victory in the quarter-finals against Canada and in the semi-finals against Argentina. “I don’t think people fully appreciate what Andy Murray has achieved”. “I’ve practised a lot with Kyle and he’s playing very well”. No. I think we have two matches locked.
“But I know they wouldn’t miss it because they’ve watched us so passionately throughout this whole campaign”.
Only once before has Edmund experienced anything close to what will unfold on Friday, which was when he played a Frenchman in front of a crowd of excitable Parisians in the opening round of this year’s French Open, and he coped admirably well against Stephane Robert and registered what was his first main-draw Grand Slam victory.
He admitted that it will be something completely new, with a first-round match at this year’s French Open the only vaguely comparable thing that he has gone through.
“Well this is definitely going to be the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of-probably the biggest occasion”.
“(Home court) is an advantage we have to take”, he said. It a new experience for me. But it’s a good problem to have and it’s exciting’. “They’ve played with such quality in the last two ties”. As soon as we made that decision, it’s much better to have more singles options, because who knows what might happen over the next couple of days?
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With two players from each team playing two singles matches each over three days, it has been the doubles that has been crucial in British success so far.
