Andy Murray named in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team

Andy Murray was beaten in the second round by Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon in July

Andy Murray has returned to Great Britain’s Davis Cup team for the ties against Australia, France and Switzerland in Manchester next month.

The three-time Grand Slam champion was left out of the squad for the 3-1 win against Colombia in February.

Murray, 36, was integral to Britain’s 2015 victory – their first Davis Cup win in 79 years.

The top two nations in Group B of the group stage in Manchester qualify for November’s finals in Malaga.

All of GB’s ties will be broadcast on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

Neal Skupski, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans have also been selected for the 10-time champions who were eliminated in the group stages of last year’s Finals.

“Having Andy in the team is great. He’s the senior statesman, the one who has been there and done it,” GB captain Leon Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“But we’re also fortunate we’ve got Cam who is top 15 in the world, and who has been top 10 recently and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.

“Dan has had tough year but he won Washington title recently – an ATP 500 event – that is the first time he has won at that level.

“And our fourth player is Neal who has just picked up the Wimbledon doubles title and is number one in the world.

“We have good depth and I’m hoping the players come through the US Open successfully and injury free.”

With Evans and Murray in the team, captain Smith has calculated he is only likely to require the services of one specialist doubles player.

As the Wimbledon champion and world number one, Skupski fits the bill perfectly, and was a finalist at both the Miami and Monte Carlo Masters with Evans in 2021.

The team could still evolve over the month ahead, as Smith can make up to three changes until 24 hours before the start.

Performances at the US Open will be a factor, and the progress of Jack Draper will be closely watched. The 21-year-old, who has not played since the French Open, makes his comeback from a shoulder injury at the Winnipeg Challenger this week.

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