Glasgow may host September Davis Cup tie

GLASGOW has emerged as an early favourite to host Great Britain’s vital Davis Cup relegation play-off at home to Uzbekistan from September 14-16. Leon Smith’s team were given a favourable draw yesterday as they seek to remain at the competition’s top table. The one great unknown is whether Andy Murray wants to play at a time when his comeback from injury is expected to be well under way but, even without him, GB would be expected to beat a team whose top player is current world No 88 Denis Istomin. While the Lawn Tennis Association would not comment about possible venues, there is nothing booked in that week for Glasgow’s Emirates Arena, which has successfully hosted ties before. Last November, the city also staged Murray’s charity exhibition and, although the Scot and his opponent Roger Federer would clearly have sold the tickets many times over, it again showed the appetite for professional tennis there. Smith will be relieved his team are facing one of the weaker nations in their attempt to retain a place in the elite 16-team World Group. That is especially important with the possibility that, subject to an International Tennis Federation vote in August, the sport’s premier team event could switch to becoming a one-week competition for the best nations under plans spearheaded by footballer-cumentrepreneur Gerard Pique. Istomin, who was beaten by Kyle Edmund at the Australian Open, is Uzbekistan’s top player but after that they lack depth and their next man down the list is the unknown Sanjar Fayziev, ranked 382. The benign draw contrasts sharply to that experienced by the women’s Fed Cup team, who have continually faced away matches. They travel next week to Osaka to face Japan in an attempt to make World Group level.