Andy Murray "unlikely" to feature in Great Britain's Davis Cup tie

Andy Murray is "unlikely" to play in Great Britain's Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia this week following his Wimbledon title triumph.

Published 11th Jul 2016

Andy Murray is "unlikely" to play in Great Britain's Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia this week following his Wimbledon title triumph.

The world number two was named in the team last week but had always said he would make a final decision based on how he felt after the championships.

Murray said: "I spoke to (GB captain) Leon (Smith) last night at the ball briefly. I'm genuinely calling him after here. I'd say it's looking unlikely but, even if I don't play, I'm still probably going to go anyway just to be there with the team.

"Leon was flying this morning and I'll chat to him this afternoon to make a final decision."

Murray pulled off one of his most unexpected feats by leading Britain to their first Davis Cup title in 79 years last year.

Smith's team began the defence of the trophy with victory over Japan in March, when Murray stated his commitment to trying to retain the title.

But this tie always looked a challenging one to fit into his schedule, even more so when Serbia selected clay for the clash in Belgrade, which world number one Novak Djokovic is also skipping.

Should Murray decide to play, he would have to put in hours on the practice court to make the transition from grass back to clay ahead of the start of the tie on Friday.

The 29-year-old would then only have a week prior to the beginning of the American hard court season, which includes the defence of his Olympic title next month and the US Open.

What could have been a blockbuster tie is set to have a much more low-key feel without Murray and Djokovic.

Britain's team will be led by Kyle Edmund, who became the new British number two on Monday at 67 in the rankings, and also includes Dan Evans, James Ward, Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot.

Serbia's number one is 81st-ranked Dusan Lajovic, who is joined by Filip Krajinovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic.

Murray had vowed to make sure he enjoyed this Wimbledon victory more than his maiden triumph in 2013, when he was overwhelmed by sheer relief.

He attended the Champions Dinner on Sunday night with his team and family, and said: "It was good. I had a great night. I just spent time with my friends and my family and then we'll go out for dinner tonight as well."

Murray attended a Downing Street reception after winning three years ago but was planning to spend most of Monday at home resting.