I’m so proud to play with Union Jack on my shirt
BEING a tennis player can be a long, lonely and at times selfish existence. All year long we play for ourselves, which I think is what makes Davis Cup team events so special.
People were asking me if I’d be selected for Britain’s Davis Cup squad – who start in Innsbruck, Austria on Saturday – so it was magical when I got the call to tell me I was in.
The GB team is a hugely professional set-up, and everything we need to help us succeed on the court is in place, but we all know only the guy on the court can actually hit the ball. It’s that which makes this individual sport becoming a team one such an inspiring prospect.
For me, being selected to represent my country is the pinnacle, I always love competing but having that Union Jack on my shirt is something else.
All the team were gutted when we realised the Austrian lockdown would mean that we’d be playing to an empty stadium. Practicing out on court brought that home, the stadium here is huge and it would’ve been awesome to play in front of a packed arena.
Davis Cup is special because we know when we play for our country the crowd really care who wins. Often, I play in tournaments in front of small crowds or in foreign lands where the spectators are indifferent to the outcome, but there’s never a neutral fan at a Davis Cup tie.
As the fifth man on the team I’m a little like a sub at football, I have to be ready to go and play at any time while knowing I might not get on court.
I am giving it everything in practice to show Leon Smith, the captain, I am ready to play if he needs me and to support the guys who we expect to be out there in the matches against France and the Czech Republic.
Leon has engendered a fantastic team spirit here. We enjoy each others’ company and know when to have a laugh and when to get our game-face on.
Joe Salisbury, on his Davis Cup debut, has been forced to wear his ‘I’m new… be nice to me’ T-shirt everywhere, which has raised a smile and we’ve just enjoyed his initiation speech.
To be fair, he did a great one, reminding us that we were all at a career high and were coming here after the best years of our lives.
GB might not be the bookies’ favourites in a very tough group, but we are coming in with a mindset that we can win.
Having had the honour of playing at the Olympics, I know the feeling of being a part of something bigger than just myself really inspires me. I beat Hubert Hurkacz there, he finished the season in the top 10 in the world, so will back myself if I get out onto that court.
The Olympics was an amazing experience and really changed my perspective on the importance of the Olympics to tennis and being in a team with all those amazing athletes was such a great experience.
I know I’ll remember these next few days forever, come what may.