Andy Murray said this week that he is following the lead of Roger Federer by choosing not to play Davis Cup in Great Britain’s “third-tier” tie against Lithuania in March. Federer, the world No. 1 from Switzerland, has also begged off of Switzerland’s first-round match against two-time defending Spain, led by his top rival and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal.
Public sentiment in Britain have speculated that Murray would not play Davis Cup for his country until the nation is able to find suitable-level teammates for Murray to field a competitive squad. Murray currently ranks No. 4 in the world while the second-best Brit, Alex Bogdanovic, ranks No. 163 and is the only other Brit ranked in the top 200.
Murray said other top players have skipped the competition as well, saying: “I think it’s unfair to single me out. Better players than me have missed Davis Cup matches.”
Federer has traditionally not participated in Davis Cup play until after the U.S. Open, where he has kept Switzerland in the elite 16-team World Group with strong performances in the Qualifying Round.
There is speculation in the tennis world that another high-profile Davis Cup star is also not planning on participating in the competition in 2010 and possibly beyond. Stay tuned to find out if rumors turn into facts.