Picking his words more adroitly than he selected his shots in an error-strewn nightmare against the Croatian teenager Borna Coric in Dubai, Andy Murray tiptoed around nationalism, football politics and the state of Scottish tennis on the eve of Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against the USA in Glasgow. It was a virtuoso performance – without notes.
Its tone and content suggested team spirit is in good shape, even if his brother, Jamie, is struggling with a cold. However, if the British, who rolled the Americans in San Diego last year, are to beat them back to back for the first time in 110 years, that esprit de corps – driven by what will surely be overwhelming support among a sellout crowd of 7,000 in the Emirates Arena – could swing the result, starting with the singles on Friday.
“I expect it to be very close,” Murray said. “It’s the biggest home tie I have played. The tickets sold out quickly, so it shows there is a passion here for the sport.”
Which led on, inevitably, to brother Jamie’s comments in the Scottish Daily Mail on Wednesday, in which he lambasted local administrators for failing to build on the immense goodwill and inspiration his brother’s Wimbledon victory in 2013 has generated. “I spoke to [Jamie and our mother, Judy] about it quite a bit over Christmas,” Andy said, “but I don’t know as much as they do. I don’t spend as much time in Scotland now but I respect both of their opinions when it comes to that sort of thing.”
The team captain, Leon Smith, born and raised in Glasgow, was more forthright: “It’s a no-brainer that there’s a need for indoor courts, especially north of the central belt. Andy and Jamie made really good use of the Stirling University courts. [Andy] would probably have been a great player anyway but it certainly helps if you can access courts when you’re a youngster.”
Led into unrelated waters, Murray confirmed he visited Hampden Park after practice on Tuesday – only his second time in the national stadium after seeing his team Hibernian lose a Scottish Cup final – but said he would not be attending the Celtic-St Johnstone match on Wednesday night, just across the road from the tennis venue.
“It was nice to go down on the pitch and see what it was like in the locker rooms,” he said of Hampden, adding when asked: “I don’t think I’ve ever been to Celtic Park. We’ve got the team dinner to look forward to, always a great evening.”
Smith, denying any betrayal of personal allegiance, chipped in: “Any of my suggestions to go to Celtic Park were knocked back at the beginning of the week.”
In a more serious test of his diplomacy, Murray bit when asked if playing in Scotland felt like a home tie. “This is home. This is where I grew up, this is where my family live. Except for me and my brother, they virtually all still live in Dunblane. I still have very strong ties to Dunblane for a number of reasons.”
The USA captain, Jim Courier, described the Murray brothers’ return to Scotland as “a unique opportunity for us to experience the vibe that the crowd will have for him”.
In an oblique reference to Andy’s support for Scottish independence, he added: “We obviously know there is a political undercurrent here, we are aware of that, and that just adds a little intrigue. It is another wrinkle, another element to this competition. We know what it means to everybody to play for their country and maybe a little bit extra special for Andy and Jamie playing here in Scotland.”
On a lighter note, he said his players would not be out for revenge for the USA’s loss to Europe in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, adding: “Interestingly, though, Jay Berger, who is [a coach] on our team, his son Daniel finished second to Padraig Harrington on Monday in the PGA event down at Palm Beach.”
Omens and sand traps are everywhere in Glasgow this week.