Davis Cup should be made mandatory for everyone: Andy Murray

Andy Murray practices before the David Cup clash between Croatia and Great Britain

World number 3 Andy Murray feels that Davis Cup, a men’s team event, should be made mandatory for each and every player.

“We’re told which events to play throughout the whole year. They should make Davis Cup a mandatory event so it isn’t up for discussion,” Murray said in a press conference.

“It isn’t about prioritizing Davis Cup. We, as tennis players, are told which tournaments to play. We don’t have much flexibility in our schedule at all, and that’s why I don’t understand why they don’t make Davis Cup a mandatory event.

“We are meant to play 18 mandatory events during the year, which is about 27, 28 week worth of tournaments, and we don’t get to decide which ones we do and don’t play,” the 26-year-old added.

“The hard part about it is the surface changes. Going from hard courts to clay courts to hard courts in a three-week span (is difficult). Davis Cup finishes on a Sunday, and there are tournaments that start on the ATP Tour on Tuesday. That’s unhealthy – it’s not good for the body to travel from Croatia on a Sunday night, hit once on a hard court, and then play a match on it going flat out,” the Brit stated as he signed off.

Murray, who recently failed to defend the U.S. Open title men’s singles title, will lead the British side against Croatia, with the winner moving on to the World Group elite stage.