Andy Murray has guided Great Britain into their first Davis Cup final since 1978. His two singles victories as well as a doubles triumph alongside his brother Jamie against Australia, have set up a clash with Belgium in November. Following the historic achievement by the world number 3, doubts have been cast over his attendance in one of the most significant tournaments of the year.
The Davis Cup final will take place on November 27th- 29th, five days after the ATP World Tours finals in London. It is expected that the Davis Cup final will be played on clay. During an interview with the BBC, the 2013 Wimbledon champion admitted that if the surface was confirmed, his appearance at the O2 Arena is uncertain.
“The O2 would obviously be a question mark for me if we were playing on the clay,“. Murray told BBC Radio 5 live.
“”I would go and train and prepare on the clay to get ready for the final”. He added.
Competing in the ATP Finals is a massive financial boost to players. They are awarded £10,000 for attending the tournament followed by £100,000 for each round robin match won. If a player takes the title without losing a match, they would earn an impressive £1,300,000. The potential boycott by Murray has triggered a response from the CEO of the ATP Tour, Chirs Kermode. Kermode released a statement to the media in which he stated that qualified players are required to participate in the tournament, unless injured.
“The ATP World Tour Finals is a mandatory event on the ATP World Tour and all players who qualify, unless injured, are required to compete in the event“. Kermode said.
“ We are aware of the comments made after the Davis Cup tie in Glasgow, however our expectations are that, if fully fit, Andy would compete in this year’s tournament. Unless we hear otherwise via an official withdrawal, he is still entered to compete at the O2.“. He added.
This year will be Murray’s seventh year-end championship if he participates. He is yet to reach the final of the event, but has reached the semi-finals on three previous occasions in 2008, 2009 and 2013.
Great Britain hasn’t won the Davis Cup since 1936. Murray stated last Sunday that he will make a decision in his end of the year scheduled ‘in the next couple of days’. The next event for the world number 3 will be the ATP Shanghai Masters which begins on October 12th. He will fly to China on the Wednesday before the tournament to prepare for the event.
