Murray should make way for Loughborough ace
Tennis newsAndy Murrays former coach Mark Petchey insists the British No 1 should stand down from Davis Cup duties with immediate effect and make way for the likes of Loughboroughs Dan Cox.
Cox, 19, currently sits 472nd in the world rankings – 468 places behind Murray – having battled back from injury to almost stun top seed Florian Mayer at last months ATP Challenger Tour event in Jersey.
The Loughborough-based teenager, who was born in Lincoln, shook off his hamstring and knee troubles to push the world No.61 to three sets – eventually going down 6-1, 7-5, 7-6.
Despite his promise, the British No.9 was overlooked as Britain were relegated to group two of the Davis Cup Euro-Africa Zone, even with Murrays presence, and Petchey insists that should end the Scots chapter and begin Coxs.
I dont think Andy should play Davis Cup next year, said Petchey.
Hes going to get nothing out of it and he shouldnt have to change his schedule to travel all over the place.
If that happens, there is a fantastic chance for Dan Cox to step up now and get that international experience.
Dan Evans was given his chance in the last round but there are guys like Dan, Josh Goodall and Jamie Baker who are looking to be given a chance.
We have a lot of good players around the 150 to 250 mark, probably more than any other country, and guys like this need one or two good experiences that can go a long way.
Cox missed out when GB captain John Lloyd created a six-man play-off in February to narrow down the candidates for the Davis Cup rounds in March and September.
Former Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic has echoed Petcheys comments and urged the LTA to look beyond Murray and give Ward his chance.
If Murray doesnt play, then it is a chance for some of the other players to have international experience and that is good for those players, said Ivanisevic.
There needs to be more players out there who can move up because the LTA makes a lot of money and they need to start making new players.
They cannot rely on Andy Murray for the next 10 years because thats no good.
Its a big opportunity for the younger guys and theyve got to take it.
Sky Sports pundit Mark Petchey is supporting the Barclays Ball Kids initiative, a scheme designed to find the Ballkids for next years Barclays ATP World Tour Finals tournament. To register visit.
Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 9:15 pm and is filed under Tennis news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
