Murray’s cup KO hammer blow to Brits
GREAT Britain’s hopes of reaching the Davis Cup semifinals suffered a major blow after Andy Murray was ruled out of next month’s last-eight clash with France.
The world No.1 withdrew from the Miami Open because of an elbow problem and it has now been confirmed he will not be part of Britain’s team in Rouen.
Dan Evans, Kyle Edmund, Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot will take on the French on indoor clay at the Kindarena from April 7-9.
There has yet been no official update from the Murray camp on the nature of the Scot’s injury but his brother Jamie revealed at the weekend he had a “tear” in the joint.
Murray was also suffering from a virus prior to flying home to London last week and was told to rest by doctors.
British Davis Cup captain Leon Smith said: “This is a team with significant Davis Cup experience now and these guys have all stepped up and delivered performances at the very top of the competition.
“Not having Andy is a big loss to our team but, most importantly, we all wish him well for a speedy recovery back to full health and fitness. I know he would really want to be here with the rest of the team.
“Facing France in a Davis Cup tie is a tough test for any group of players and this Rouen quarter-final will be no exception.
“They have the strongest depth of squad by far out of any nation in the competition.”
Winning the match would have been a tough task even with Murray. Without him, Britain will go in as heavy underdogs and much will depend on world No.45 Edmund.
The 22-year-old is unusual among British players in that his favourite surface is clay and he stepped up impressively in Murray’s absence from the team against Serbia last summer, winning both singles rubbers.
Birmingham’s Evans is ranked marginally higher at 43 but has not played a match on clay in nearly two years. Smith, however, sees no reason why he cannot perform.
“Dan’s serve is good on any surface, his forehand can be a weapon, he moves great, so I don’t see why he can’t play well on it,’’ added the Scot.