Andy Murray now prepares for Davis Cup tie

Andy Murray will be reflecting on his disappointing exit from the US Open over the next few days as he was beaten by Kei Nishikori in their eight encounters to deny the British number one the opportunity to continue his run at Flushing Meadows.

Andy Murray, US Open 2012” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by  Marianne Bevis  

No US Open glory

Murray was bidding to reach the finals of all four Grand Slams in 2016 as he was a finalist at the Australian Open where he lost to Novak Djokovic, the French Open where he was once again beaten by Djokovic, while at Wimbledon he lifted the trophy after beating Canadian Milos Raonic in the final.

Despite going into a 2-1 lead in the match against the former US Open finalist, he lost set four 6-1 and then went down 7-5 in the deciding set to exit before the semi-final for the fifth consecutive year at Flushing Meadows.

LOTS OF OLYMPIC GLORY

When he reflects on his season at the end of 2016, Murray will no doubt look back on the year as a success as he won the second Olympic gold medal of his career in Rio where he beat Juan Martin Del Potro in the final.

Andy Murray supporters” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by  Carine06 

What about the David Cup?

Murray’s focus now will be on the Davis Cup as Great Britain prepares for a semi-final encounter against Argentina. The Wimbledon champion missed GB’s quarter-final win over Serbia in Belgrade which came just days after his success at SW19 and not long before his trip to Rio to prepare for the Olympics.

Murray is expected to figure in singles action on the Friday and Sunday of the tie, while he could also pair up with his brother Jamie again for the doubles game on Sunday. Great Britain coach Liam Smith is likely to make the decision on who will play the doubles on the back of how the singles results go on day one.

Great Britain won their first David Cup title in 79 years in 2015 when it defeated Belgium in the final. The holders can be backed at 10-11 in the latest betting odds to successfully defend their crown this year. In the final, GB could meet France as it is expected to get through its semi-final tie against Croatia and feature several top 50 players in their squad with Gael Monfils, Jo-WilfriedTsonga, and Lucas Pouille all playing well to give captain Yannick Noah a dilemma ahead of that game.

Great Britain’s Smith also has something to think about when it comes his second singles player for the tie against Argentina. Kyle Edmund was in excellent form in the US Open: the 21-year old reached the fourth round for the first time in a Grand Slam. He upset Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the first round in New York and dispatched qualifier Ernesto Escobedo in straight sets before eliminating America’s best hope of winning the title, John Isner, in four sets. With James Ward and Dan Evans both also in the Great Britain squad, Smith will need to decide which of those three players will feature along with Murray.