Baker Out As Fleming Gets Set For Davis Cup Tie

As Linlithgow's Colin Fleming gets set for his second Davis Cup appearance, Glasgow's Jamie Baker has been forced to withdraw from the AEGON Team GB squad after injuring his ankle in practice at the Vitas Gerulaitis Tennis Centre in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The 23-year-old was attempting to compete in his first Davis Cup by BNP Paribas tie since winning a dead rubber against Argentina in March 2008, but fate conspired against him when he suffered a sprained ankle during the morning practice session on Wednesday.

The AEGON GB Davis Cup Captain, John Lloyd, said: “I’m absolutely devastated for Jamie. He’s been doing so well in training, so for this to happen is just such bad luck for him.”

James Ward will begin Team GB's tie against Lithuania.  The British No.3, making his Davis Cup debut, was drawn to face Lithuanian No.2 Laurynas Grigelis at 12pm (10am GMT) in the first rubber on Friday. He will be followed by Dan Evans, appearing in his second Davis Cup tie, against Lithuanian No.1 Ricardas Berenkis.

Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski will compete in the doubles at 2pm (4pm GMT) on Saturday, and Ward and Evans will play their reverse singles from 12pm (10am GMT) on Sunday.

John Lloyd commented:

"Everybody’s feeling good, I’m happy with the draw, I think it’s good for us that Wardy makes his debut and goes off first without having to wait around the locker room. He goes up against their No.2 who’s a good player, but if he plays the way he’s been practicing and focuses on his side of the court, he should do well. Dan is also hitting the ball well. He’s the underdog on paper, but if he had to play Berenkis in a Challenger or Futures event, he wouldn’t be thinking ‘that’s a terrible draw.’ It’s just getting in Davis Cup mode, playing another opponent across the net, and not thinking about all the other stuff."

"The boys have played in front of big crowds, but I have a feeling that this is probably going to be the loudest they’ve ever experienced. I’ve been to a lot of Eastern European countries and traditionally in Davis Cup they’re pretty loud. But I’ve told them that the louder the crowd get, that means they’re doing some damage and doing a good job. So they just need to enjoy it, and try to have a good time out there."