A change is as good as a rest, so they say.

And for Andy Murray, the red clay and team camaraderie of a Davis Cup tie in Umag, Croatia next weekend could be just what is needed following the disappointment of his crushing quarter-final defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka at Flushing Meadows on Thursday evening.

While it is hoped the 26-year-old will find some respite in the Balkans, there is also plenty at stake: should Leon Smith's side overcome the Croats they will be back among the top tier of world tennis for the first time since 2008, when Alex Bogdanovic lost a decisive rubber to Austria's Alexander Peya.

Murray's first appearance in this event since September 2011 - he may even play doubles with his countryman Colin Fleming - is not the only reason Great Britain have cause to feel good about their chances of ending the years spent wandering the wilderness of the middle reaches of Euro/Africa Zone.

Also included on Smith's four-man roster are James Ward and Dan Evans, a man who has excelled on this platform and whose storming run in New York took him past Kei Nishikori and Bernard Tomic before going down in a battling four-sets defeat to Tommy Robredo.

The Croats, on the other hand, have no shortage of problems. They are without their best player, Marin Cilic, who is quietly serving a three-month suspension from the sport for violating the ITF's doping protocols, after allegedly taking an over-the-counter nutritional supplement and testing positive for high glucose, putting a heavy burden on Ivan Dodig's shoulders.

The big-serving 28-year-old, who was born in Medjugorje in Bosnia, is ranked in the top 40 for both singles and doubles, and is in decent form after a win against Fernando Verdasco at the US Open. Beneath him, however, the other two singles options are likely to be 16-year-old London-based Borna Coric and Antonio Veic, who hasn't won a match at ATP tour level this year.

Murray, hoping a change of scenery would be productive, said: "I'll see in 10 days or so, but I need to take a few days' rest and then get practicing on the clay courts and hopefully we can win the match. Clay will be difficult. It's probably my worst surface. But I don't think it's Ivan Dodig's best surface, either. Davis Cup's different. I'm sure it will be a tough match."

The two countries have met only once before, Murray and Tim Henman inspiring Great Britain to a 4-1 win, but the Scot isn't reading too much into that. "They will be completely different teams [from 2007] except for me probably," he said.

"I think I won against Marin in five sets that day. I think [Ivan] Ljubicic had kidney stones during that tie. We have a couple of singles players that have won matches in Davis Cup beforehand, and we have a very good doubles team, so it will be an interesting match - a tough one, but one we can win."