ANDY Murray limped out of the Emirates Arena last night as Great Britain's defence of their Davis Cup trophy came to an end at the semi-final stage against Argentina. While the World No 2 pushed himself through the pain barrier to keep home hopes of a famous recovery alive - he felt a sharp pain in his right thigh which required lengthy off-court treatment during his 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win against Guido Pella - the decisive final rubber went in the way of the South Americans when Leonardo Mayer got the better of Dan Evans 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Mayer was a surprise replacement for the fatigued Juan Martin del Potro but it is Argentina, winners by a 3-2 scoreline, who travel to Croatia to contest the final in November as they endeavour to win this trophy for the very first time.
Having played as much tennis as anyone in the last three months - including all three days here - Murray said yesterday that he required a rest as soon as possible. That may not be easy to achieve, as he will host his own 'Andy Murray Live' charity exhibition event at a sell-out SSE Hydro on Wednesday night and is currently entered into tour events in Beijing and Shanghai before the season reaches its climax at the ATP Tour finals in London in November. It is to be hoped the injury does not prove costly to the Scot's hopes of overhauling Novak Djokovic as World No 1.
"It was [worrying] because I have never had any muscle injuries before," said Murray. "I just felt a lot of sharp pain in my right quad so I will have to see. I have played so much tennis in the last few months so I need a rest now. Thankfully I managed to get it done in straight sets. I wasn't thinking about withdrawing, I was more concerned about how my leg was.
“There’s not many times in the tennis season when it’s easy to fit extra stuff in," he added. "Obviously it [the timing of the exhibition] is not ideal but it’s the time that was the best date available. I’ve been trying to set it up for a few years so hopefully I’ll be okay on Wednesday."
Captain Leon Smith praised the efforts of both Murray brothers, who played this weekend while mourning their grandfather Gordon. With Evans and Kyle Edmund now around the world's top 50, the Scot said his team were stronger now than they were when they claimed the title for the first time in 79 years in Ghent in November. The first round draw for the 2017 event is made on Thursday.
"We are really fortunate to have those two boys," said Smith. "They are a credit to themselves, their families and the sport. For sure, it’s been a very difficult time for them and they have managed to give their best for the country yet again. To lose a family member is very, very difficult. Emotionally that would have taken a lot out of them. No doubt it must have had an effect. But Andy went out and fought his heart out and did his family proud yet again.
"The team IS stronger," he added. "The most important thing for Dan and Kyle and the other players is that they are just doing a great job week in, week out. Davis Cup is just two, three or in a great year, four times a year. It’s a bonus. The most important thing for these guys is to do what they are doing now."
Evans said he felt like he had let his team-mates down by failing to win the decisive rubber, but Mayer was an inspired opponent on the day. "It’s not a nice feeling," said the Brummie. "You do feel like you are the one who lost the match for those guys."
Argentine captain Daniel Orsanic said his decision to select Mayer rather than Del Potro for the final rubber had been made on Friday night. "A lot has happened during this weekend, beginning with an incredible match between Del Potro and Murray," he said. "Juan Martin gave more than he has in that match and that had a very high cost for him. Originally we would think that he would play the fifth rubber if possible but after Friday’s match we couldn’t think of that. That’s why we made him play the doubles to see if his quality could help Argentina to close the tie."
One comical interlude was Murray explaining his decision to leave the court for his medical time-out. "The reason I had to go off is because I can’t get my nuts out on the court," he said. "The strapping had to be done very high up on my right leg and I needed to take my clothes off."
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