A SALTIRE was sighted here yesterday with a large yellow smiley face planked in the middle of it. It wasn't the Glasgow's Miles Better logo, rather the Acieed symbol back from the days when acid house ruled. The owner must have been a member of Andy and Jamie Murray's happy hardcore. Anyway, as strange a sight as this was, it was also somehow appropriate, because at times the atmosphere in the Flanders Expo Centre in Ghent has resembled that of an early 90s rave in some out-of-town aircraft hangar.
Anyway, apparently choices of music at change of ends on Davis Cup duty boils down to the preference of the home team. Leon Smith, presumably a big Rolling Stones fan, chose Start Me Up for Britain's tie against France in July, while it was back to the Bay City Rollers, Proclaimers, Loch Lomond as crowd pleasing choices for the Glasgow semi-final with Australia. This does all rather beg one question, however. Who in the Belgian team is the guilty man with the predilection for DJ Otzi and a dance version of Sweet Caroline?
ANDY Murray told the boisterous British crowd to bring it on during Friday's singles rubber against Ruben Bemelmans, and further details are coming to light about what the pesky home crowd were up to. Instead of hissing as the World No 2 prepared to serve, as was first reported, they were just very loudly saying 'ssshhh'. As the World No 2 prepared to serve.
PARTIALLY because of such antics, the role of the Davis Cup captain is growing arms and legs. At times this weekend, Leon Smith and Johan van Herck have been prowling about menacingly in the vicinity of umpire Carlos Ramos in the way that Jose Mourinho might do in a football technical area. It won't be long before they start tapping their watch when the opposing player takes too long between serves or waving imaginary yellow cards in the air.
IT has been a glorious weekend for British sport, with Tyson Fury shocking Wladimir Klitschko to become the heavyweight champion of the world, Jamie Vardy breaking the Barclays Premier League goalscoring record, and the British team standing on the cusp of Davis Cup glory for the first time since 1936. There was also a great win for your diarist and a Scottish pal against the Auld Enemy at pool. Yet still David Lloyd feels that Andy Murray doesn't do enough to sell tennis in this country. Perhaps he is right, maybe the World No 2 should spend the next few months conducting a series of roadshows in schools and clubs across the country in order to expand the game at grassroots level. LTA chief executive Michael Downey has agreed to enter the Australian Open instead.
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