Murray set to miss Davis Cup tie in Canada

World number one Andy Murray has not been included in Britain’s Davis Cup team for next month’s tie in Canada as he recuperates following his shock exit from the Australian Open.

The team, captained by Leon Smith, includes Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans, Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot.

But Smith said Andy Murray could still feature in Ottawa, from 3-5 February.

“We’ll just keep some dialogue going with Andy and see how he feels in the coming days,” he told BBC Sport.

Murray, who lost to Mischa Zverev in the fourth round in Melbourne, played a packed schedule in the second half of 2016 to reach the top of the world rankings.

Smith added: “Andy has been unbelievable for our team. He gets on great with all the players and the staff and loves playing for Great Britain.

“But he has to look after himself and has played an awful lot of tennis, particularly in the last six months of the year.

“At some point you need to take a break.”

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World number three Milos Raonic is Canada’s leading player, with Peter Polansky and Vasek Pospisil ranked outside the top 100.

“We know the challenge the Canadian team poses,” added Smith.

Andy Murray won 11 of a possible 12 points when he led Britain to their first Davis Cup victory for 79 years in 2015, and the Scot played in two of three ties last year as they reached the semi-finals.

“There’s no let-up, and especially when it’s in Ottawa – where the logistics of it make it challenging,” said Smith.

“There’s a lot of people, whether it’s Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka, having to look at the schedule and figure out what is best for them to be able to go through the whole year.”

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