With the Grand Slams done and dusted, all attention will now be on the Davis Cup semi-finals this weekend. The four remaining teams – Great Britain, Australia, Belgium and Argentina - will all vie for a spot in the finals of this prestigious team tournament.
The tie of most interest to those down under is of course the semi-final between Australia and Great Britain. The hard courts of Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, has been chosen to host the tie from 18th to 20th September. The fierce sporting rivalry between these two nations should make this a memorable one to look forward to.
Great Britain has not won the Davis Cup since 1936, and, they haven’t reached a final since losing to USA in 1978. This time the hopes are on local hero Andy Murray and the supportive Glasgow crowd.
The presence of Murray is a huge boost for Britain as he shoulders the burden of both singles and doubles. The presence of doubles specialists Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot should give a chance for Leon Smith to keep Andy fresh for the reverse singles.
Australia is the most successful of the semi-finalists having won the Davis Cup on 28 occasions, which is second only to USA overall. However it has been some time since they tasted success in this arena as they are bidding to reach their first final since 2006. They recovered from 0-2 down against Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals to make it to this stage.
Lleyton Hewitt is the most successful player for the Aussies with an incredible Davis Cup win-loss record of 58-19. With his career swansong so near, the plucky Australian would like to cap it with a Davis Cup triumph and he always saves his absolute best for the green and gold. Modern tennis bad-boy Nick Kyrgios has been left out while the equally-controversial Bernard Tomic has been recalled to the squad as he looks to prove his worth in singles.
The presence of Andy Murray shifts the advantage in favour of Great Britain. At odds of $1.61 at Betfair, they are hot favorites to reach the final, but the Australians at odds of $2.20 at Betfair are known to revel as underdogs. That should make it a fascinating contest.
In the other semi-final it looks to be a toss-up between Belgium and Argentina on the hard indoor courts in Brussels. With both teams not boasting household names, it looks a tough game to predict.
For the Australians, doubles could prove to be crucial as Murray is expected to win both his singles. Hewitt, Tomic and co will have their work cut out in Glasgow if they are to reach the Davis Cup final.
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