"For whatever reason, he asked me to come and I said I would come": Murray initially told captain Leon Smith to leave him out of Davis Cup squad

Former world number one Andy Murray has revealed that he informed Britain’s team captain to leave him out of the upcoming Davis Cup squad.

The 36-year-old was eventually named in the contingent to take part in the mega-event, starting in some time.

Murray was quoted in a report by The Independent where he stated that he asked the captain to leave him out of the Davis Cup squad but is now happy to be a part of the team.

“I said [to captain Leon Smith], if I’m not needed, I completely get that,” he said. “But, for whatever reason, he asked me to come and I said I would come. I’ve always loved playing Davis Cup and any event where you’re competing for your country.”

Talking about the chances of Great Britain’s team, Murray believes that the group of players are very much capable of going all the way and achieving big things.

“We have a great group of guys, I love being part of this team, we’ve got great staff as well. Everyone gets on extremely well. I do genuinely believe the team can win the event. That’s huge motivation to be a part of it. I want to help the team in any way I can, whether that’s on the court or off. We’ll see what happens.”

Murray’s journey on the court is a special one, largely because he has suffered with injuries throughout his career. It was because of this reason, he ended up retiring in 2019 but made a stunning comeback and is still playing at the highest level.

He is coming into the competition on the back of a rather disappointing outing in the US Open 2023.

The Glasgow-born was thrashed in the second round of the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year by Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.