Davis Cup: Andy Murray will guide Great Britain to win, says Tim Henman

Andy Murray will hope to lead Great Britain to a first Davis Cup triumph for 79 years

Andy Murray will find his form and help Great Britain to victory if the Davis Cup final goes ahead next weekend, says former GB number one Tim Henman.

Britain will attempt to win the team title for the first time since 1936 when they take on Belgium from Friday.

Murray is set to head to Ghent after two defeats at the ATP World Tour Finals in London last week.

"I think Britain will win 3-1 but it won't be easy. Away on clay is never easy," Henman told BBC Sport.

Organisers are "confident" the event will go ahead despite security alerts in Belgium following the recent Paris attacks.

Henman believes the hosts will come up against a rejuvenated Murray.

"I think it was evident in Andy's performance at the O2 that he was a bit distracted, and that's perfectly acceptable when you've got a Davis Cup final around the corner," he said.

"Given the atmosphere and the environment for the match in Belgium - 90% of the support is going to be locals - I think that really will focus his mind. I'm sure he'll continue as he has done all year and carry the team and do the job out there."
Question mark over final

The British team have delayed their journey by 24 hours and plan to set off on Monday as Belgian capital Brussels - 35 miles from Ghent - enters a third day under the highest level of terror alert, amid the threat of Paris-style attacks.

"It is unsettling," said Henman. "I was on the way to play in the Davis Cup in Ecuador on 11 September [the day of the 9/11 attacks in 2001]. I was flying to Miami but diverted to Bermuda and had to fly back to London.

"That was an unsettling time, it wasn't much fun being on an airplane then, but we had the security measures in place so we could carry on and concentrate on the job in hand.

"Hopefully they'll be able to do that in Ghent this weekend.

"They are going to be consulting a lot of people outside the LTA - obviously the ITF, the embassy, the British and Belgian governments - to understand what security measures are going to be put in place.

"Fingers crossed they're going to be able to continue, because it would be very disappointing for everyone if the Davis Cup final wasn't able to be played this weekend."


Great Britain beat Australia in the semi-finals
Murray has 'carried the team'

Murray has won all six singles and both doubles matches he has played in the Davis Cup this year while guiding Britain to within sight of a first title in 79 years.

"I didn't think it was possible," said Henman.

"The theory is that one-man teams don't win the Davis Cup, and there have been other players who have played their part - Jamie Murray, James Ward and Leon Smith, the captain - but when you look at what Andy's done, it's been phenomenal."

Henman, who won 29 singles matches in his Davis Cup career, also defended Murray against recent claims by ex-captain David Lloyd that he has not put enough back into British tennis.

"I'd probably disagree with that, considering he's carried the team to the Davis Cup final," said the six-time Grand Slam semi-finalist.

"He's won Wimbledon, the US Open, Olympic gold. That's the most important thing for him to do, to concentrate on his preparation and performance on the court.

"There are others that need to be responsible for taking advantage of the interest he creates in the game. But if you ask me, I think Andy is doing all right."