Andy Murray 'didn't want to let Great Britain down' in Davis Cup

4th Sep 2018 | Source: BBC

Andy Murray says he did not want to "let his country down" after deciding not to play Great Britain's Davis Cup tie in Glasgow next week.

The 31-year-old Scot will instead continue his rehabilitation following hip surgery in January.

With the Davis Cup format changing, it could have been his last chance to play competitively in Scotland.

"I found this decision emotionally challenging," the former world number one posted on social media.

"Having been born in Glasgow and growing up in Scotland I would never have imagined I would see such passionate fans packing out stadiums for tennis matches."

Murray, who helped Britain win the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years in 2015, has only played seven tournaments since returning to competitive action in June, with his Grand Slam comeback ending in the second round of the US Open last week.

The three-time major champion says he spoke to British captain Leon Smith about only playing in the doubles before deciding his best long-term option was to miss the World Group play-off against Uzbekistan.

Instead, he will continue with rehabilitation work away from the court.

"Having been recommended to take a couple of weeks off hitting to continue my reconditioning, I didn't want to just show up not ready to perform to a high enough standard and ultimately let my team-mates and country down," Murray said.

"With this possibly being my last chance to compete in Scotland as a professional I really wanted to be there with the team."

Kyle Edmund, the British number one, also misses out on next week's tie, but Dan Evans, Cameron Norrie and Jay Clarke are included.

Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot, specialist doubles players, have also been picked for the World Group play-off tie, which starts on 14 September.

A first-round loss to Spain in February means Great Britain are featuring in the play-offs for the first time since joining the top-level World Group in 2014.

The format of the tournament is changing next year - it is turning into a season-ending 18-team event - so this tie will no longer determine a relegation.