Will Andy Murray play his 50^th match for Great Britain?

One of the Brits greatest players of all time could hit yet another milestone at this year’s Davis Cup Finals as Andy Murray approaches his 50^th match for his country.

Currently sat on 48 rubbers, Murray has always had a brilliant record competing for the Brits – boasting 40 victories to just eight losses. The most famous of which coming in 2015 where he went unbeaten in singles and doubles to bring home Great Britain’s first title since 1936.

Despite Murray no being in a slightly different chapter in his career, he has shown that he can still compete with the top players in the game and has recently broken into the top 50 once again. This year, he has defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, Denis Shapovalov and Nick Kyrgios to name but a few, showing that in the big games, he will always rise to the occasion.

He's currently ranked behind Britain’s top two players in the team – Cam Norrie and Dan Evans – but should Murray be called on for either singles or doubles, there are few players better at stepping up for their country.

Three Grand Slam titles, double Olympic gold medallist, former world No.1, Davis Cup champion and soon to get his 50^th match for Great Britain? Let’s wait and see…

Doubles partners turn opponents

Group D boasts some of the strongest doubles pairs in the competition this year, which should make for several explosive deciding match-ups. But for both Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski, there will be much more than just Davis Cup triumph on the line, there’s also the small case of bragging rights with their regular doubles partners.

World No.1 and newly crowned US Open champion, Salisbury, will go head-to-head against his partner of three years, Rajeev Ram, when the Brits play against the USA. As a partnership, Salisbury and Ram have risen to the top of the doubles rankings, claiming three Grand Slam titles along the way and featuring in three consecutive Nitto ATP Finals. It’s safe to say these two know each other’s game inside out – from Salisbury’s dominance at the net to Ram’s thunderous forehand – which should make it all the more intriguing when they face off.

Skupski on the other hand will be looking to compete against his usual teammate, Wesley Koolhof, when Great Britain play the Netherlands. The British, Dutch duo have arguably been the team of the season, currently sitting top of the Race to the Nitto ATP Finals with six titles from 10 finals. Koolhof will be joining up with another top 25 doubles star, Matwe Middelkoop in what could be a dangerous pairing for the Brits.

Can Great Britain make the home advantage count?

This year’s group stages of the Davis Cup Finals will be extra special for the Brits as they make an eagerly anticipated return to the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

One bonus that the Brits will have over their opponents of course will be the advantage of the home crowd and cheering fans every step of the way. The atmosphere at British ties on home soil is something that is well-renowned across the tennis world and something tennis reporter and commentator Nick McCarvel highlighted in a recent interview.

“What people love about the Davis Cup is the passion – from the fans and the teams – and I think the British team have shown that over the years, especially in the last decade in the push for that 2015 title,” he said.

“To have it in front of the Glasgow crowd – who are obviously going to be very excited for Andy – hopefully they can come and enjoy it and can send the Brits into the latter stage of the competition.”

Speaking to STV recently about the benefits of playing at home, Andy Murray also said, “In the Davis Cup, I do feel like the crowd can help a little bit. You’re also able to select a surface as well that hopefully suits your players a little bit more.

“There’s many advantages I think to playing at home. Yes, it’s a little bit more pressure, but usually with added pressure, for me anyway, I’ve felt like that’s helped me perform better, it’s helped me concentrate harder."