Delayed arrival for GB team as Henman backs Murray

The Great Britain team arrived safely in Belgium yesterday, with the Davis Cup final set to go ahead as planned despite the terror threat in Brussels.
World No 2 Andy Murray will lead Britain's quest for Davis Cup glory.World No 2 Andy Murray will lead Britain's quest for Davis Cup glory.
World No 2 Andy Murray will lead Britain's quest for Davis Cup glory.

Captain Leon Smith and his players landed around lunchtime at Flanders Airport and were due to practise 30 miles away at the 13,000-seat Flanders Expo in Ghent in the afternoon.

The team’s journey had to be delayed by 24 hours as Brussels remains at the highest level of alert, amid threats of a terrorist attack similar to the ones that occurred in Paris.

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The Davis Cup final, however, which starts on Friday, will take place in Ghent, 35 miles away from the capital city, and the ITF confirmed on Monday there were no plans to alter the event.

An ITF statement read: “The ITF and Royal Belgian Tennis Federation (RBTF), in consultation with the relevant officials and our risk assessment and security advisers, are closely monitoring the situation in Belgium and specifically in Ghent.

“As of today there are no changes to the previously published start times for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Belgium and Great Britain.”

A number of additional security measures have been put in place for this weekend’s tie, including a ban on bags and backpacks, as well as any food and drink, inside the Flanders Expo arena.

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Tim Henman has defended Andy Murray’s contribution to British tennis ahead of the final, something the former British No 1 admits he did not think was possible.

Former world No 4 Henman was standing up for his friend Murray in the face of criticism from David Lloyd.

Lloyd, who played in Britain’s last Davis Cup final in 1978, accused Murray of not doing enough to promote the growth of tennis in Britain.

Henman, who attracted the same criticism from Lloyd, argues the responsibility for capitalising on the achievements of Murray lies elsewhere.

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“I think I’d probably disagree with that, considering he’s carried the team to the Davis Cup final,” said Henman.

“He’s won Wimbledon, the US Open, Olympic gold. That’s the most important thing for him to do, to concentrate on his preparation and performance on the court. There are others that need to be responsible for taking advantage of the interest he creates in the game.”