1904 rematch: Britain sets up Davis Cup final vs Belgium

Andy Murray will be expected to play in the World Tour Finals in London in November, despite suggesting he may miss the event to prepare for Britain’s Davis Cup final against Belgium.

ATP president Chris Kermode said in a statement: ‘The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a mandatory event on the ATP World Tour.

Great Britain will be playing in the Davis Cup final for the first time since 1978 after heroic performances by the Murray brothers secured victory over Australia at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

“Unless we hear otherwise via an official withdrawal, he is still entered to compete”.

Murray was an integral part of Great Britain’s 3-2 victory over Australia, winning three matches in three days to set up a final meeting with Belgium after they defeated Argentina by the same scoreline to reach their first Davis Cup final in 111 years.

“I didn’t feel great the whole weekend to be honest, I’ve been struggling with my back, but I just tried to disguise it. We’ve got everyone here, mother, father, wife, grandmother, mother-in-law, aunties and uncles”. However, it was ultimately down to Andy Murray to win both of his singles rubbers and then combine with his brother Jamie to snare the decisive point from the doubles, as GB won 3-2.

But Australian captain Masur has belief his side can still clinch a first final berth since 2006 as they look to add to their tally of 28 competition wins.

Murray will need to summon one final effort at the end of the season when Britain will face Belgium, probably in Brussels, on November. 27-29 after they edged past Argentina 3-2 on Sunday.

“My back has been giving me a lot of trouble this week”, the third-ranked Murray said. The unexpectedly premature departure at the US Open would surely have compromised his confidence to some degree and could have led to a crumbling defeat under the pressure of claiming victory for his country on home turf.

Murray is now looking to become only the fourth player ever to win the Davis Cup, Olympic gold and multiple Grand Slams.

“Doubles is always crucial but there is still two matches to go and we have to come up with the best plan to win those matches and give ourselves an opportunity to go through to the final”.

And Murray has made clear that the Davis Cup is his highest priority.

Tomic, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals as an 18-year-old, produced a gutsy hold to make it 2-3, but Murray was imperious on his own delivery and raced through the next game, producing a pair of flamboyant drop shot winners to emphasise his mastery.

To complicate matters further, Belgium are likely to choose an indoor clay surface, hoping to nullify the effect of world number three Murray who favours hard courts.