ANDY Murray could risk suspension from the men’s tour by pulling out of the ATP World Tour Finals in November in order to prepare for Britain’s Davis Cup final in Belgium.
Advertisement
But Belgium’s highest-ranked player David Goffin (the world’s number 15, photo below) first beat Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 to level the score at 2-2, and it was next up to Steve Darcis, who faced Federico Delbonis in the final and decisive match.
“He has had a fantastic season and earned his place among the world’s top eight players to compete at the season finale”.
Belgium are hosts for the final because of a rotation policy that sees teams alternate home advantage in fixtures against each other in the Davis Cup.
The 28-year-old said: “I’m planning on playing (at October’s) Shanghai (Masters)”. But although the Davis Cup final begins on November 27, just five days after the ATP Tour Finals conclude, ATP president Chris Kermode expects Murray to be present at London’s O2 Arena.
With the Ghent final coming immediately after the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Murray has been reconsidering his plans for the rest of the year to ensure he is in the best condition possible for Belgium.
The Scot revealed after Britain’s 3-2 triumph over Australia that he had been struggling with a back injury throughout the weekend, but few would have guessed given the way he dealt with Bernard Tomic on Sunday.
Advertisement
“Murray said quite clearly in a BBC interview after the semi-final win over Australia that he would like to devote the week before the Davis Cup final to practice on clay – to allow his back more time to adjust to the surface. It’s a bit unfortunate I didn’t play, but at the same time it’s the best decision for my career at the moment”.
