Davis Cup Final: Andy Murray spearheads Great Britain team to face Belgium

ndrew Milligan/PA

17 November 2015

Captain Leon Smith today named his Great Britain team to face Belgium in the Davis Cup Final next week without any mention of Aljaz Bedene.

The British No2 was in Prague today appealing to the International Tennis Federation to let him switch allegiance in the competition, having played three ties for Slovenia.

Bedene has lived in England since 2008 and was granted a British passport in March but he was too late to satisfy the new criteria used by the ITF.

Were the world No45 to win his appeal, Smith could add him to the squad but that was viewed as an unlikely scenario this morning.

World No2 Andy Murray will spearhead Britain’s bid for a first Davis Cup title since 1936 when they go to Ghent for the three-day tie, which starts a week on Friday.

He will partner brother, Jamie, in the doubles while the squad will also include singles players Kyle Edmund and James Ward with Dominic Inglot as the other doubles option.

Two days ago, Edmund beat Carlos Berlocq 6-0, 6-4 to claim the Buenos Aires Challenger tournament on clay — the same surface that will be used for the final.

Edmund is No99 in the world and is pushing for that second singles slot ahead of Ward, who is 155 in the rankings.

Great Britain's team to play in the Davis Cup final against Belgium

Andy Murray, James Ward, Kyle Edmund, Jamie Murray, Dominic Inglot

Smith said: “This is an historic moment in British tennis and I’m delighted to name these five players for the tie. Andy has led from the front throughout this campaign, showing time and again what it means to him to pull on the GB jersey. He shows determination, commitment and passion that inspires the other British players on the bench and our fans in the stands.

“While our team will be spearheaded by Andy, the other guys give us strong options in both the singles and the doubles positions. Jamie is having an outstanding year and is firmly established as a top-10 ranked doubles player.

“In James Ward, we have a player who really gets the Davis Cup and has had several big wins over the last few years in this competition. Kyle Edmund has had a very good year on the Tour, breaking top 100 for the first time and qualifying at both Australian and French Open.”

Last week, Andy Murray showed his commitment to the cause by spending extra time practising on clay, his weakest surface. He said: “To represent your country at the Davis Cup Final is a huge honour. I’m really excited about the tie in Belgium, they have some very talented players who will make it a tough contest.”

MORE ABOUT

Andy Murray

Captain Leon Smith

Davis Cup Final: Andy Murray spearheads Great Britain team to face Belgium

Read More