What's it all about?
The closest comparison point to the Davis Cup is the world cup of team tennis. Originally invented by a Harvard student called Dwight Davis as a Trans-Atlantic challenge match between Great Britain and the USA, it has evolved over more than a century into the world cup of team tennis. Britain haven't been in the final since 1978, but they take on Belgium at the Flanders Expo Centre in Ghent this weekend in an attempt to win the thing for the first time since the heyday of Fred Perry in 1936.
How does it work?
Via an extremely convoluted amount of groups, zones and play-offs. The World Group is the creme de la creme, the equivalent of the Barclays Premier League, and operates essentially on a knockout format each year, where teams must win four ties to win the title. Britain have got past USA, France and Australia to take on the Belgians this weekend, while the Belgians have taken care of reigning champions Switzerland - sans Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka - Canada and Argentina to book their place in the final. Team captains nominate a four-man squad for the tie, with two singles rubbers on the opening day and the final day, and a doubles match in between, with best of five enough to win the match.
What's on today?
The action starts with Kyle Edmund, a 20-year-old from Yorkshire, who is the World No 100, making a dramatic Davis Cup debut against David Goffin, Belgium's top player. Goffin is the World No 16 and a fine player, and with the majority of a 13,000 crowd behind him, will fancy himself to take the victory. By the end of the day's play, assuming no surprises, the match score should stand at 1-1, when Andy Murray takes on Ruben Bemelmans, the World No 109. The matches are being played on an indoor clay court.
What does that leave?
With no Dom Inglot in the team, Andy Murray and Jamie Murray will play the doubles on Saturday, against a Belgian team which for now comprises Steve Darcis and youngster Kimmer Coppejans. To complicate matters, Belgian captain Johan van Herck could still choose to change that selection up to an hour before the start.
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