The ghost of Fred Perry refuses to leave Andy Murray alone.
First, the spectre of the late, eight-time grand slam champion kept teasing him as the last Brit to win a major, but Murray brought his 76-year reign to an end by winning the US Open in 2012.
Then, in the summer of 2013, Murray must have hoped he had banished the ghost of Perry for good after becoming the first Briton since 1936 to win Wimbledon.
But he is back.
Perry’s feat has tormented successive generations of British tennis players, for he not only won the Wimbledon and US Open titles, but also led Great Britain to their fourth consecutive, and ninth overall, Davis Cup title.
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Britain have made only two appearances in the final since: in 1937 (Perry was not a member of the team as he had turned professional after winning his fourth Davis Cup) and 1978, and on both occasions, they were drubbed 4-1 by the United States.
As Murray leads Great Britain out in their third Davis Cup final in November, then, the ghost of Perry should be hovering over Ghent’s Flanders Expo Arena, the most likely venue for the finale, taunting the Scot once again.
Can Murray exorcise his ghost for good this time? His chances look bright. Belgium are making their first appearance in the final since losing 5-0 to Britain in the 1904 final.
This year, Murray and Co have beaten the United States, France and Australia in the first three rounds, and those three teams have won 69 Davis Cup titles between them.
Belgian have made only one appearance in the final, 111 years ago, and they do not a have player like Murray, either. The Scot has won eight of Britain’s nine points in the first three rubbers by winning all six of his singles and two doubles alongside his brother Jamie.
So, only a reckless punter would back the Belgians in the November 27-29 final.
The hosts, however, could make it tough for the Brits, especially since they will be playing at home, and most probably on clay.
Murray has a 25-2 singles record in Davis Cups, and both his defeats have come on clay. The hosts could see that as a possible chink. By choosing clay, the Belgians would also force Murray to miss the year-ending championships, which will be held in London from November 15-22.
“The World Tour Finals would obviously be a question mark for me if we were playing on clay,” Murray told BBC Radio, adding he “would go and train and prepare on the clay to get ready” for the Davis Cup final.
Murray also will be missing the raucous support he received from the 8,000 Glasgow fans in the 3-2 semi-final win over Australia. In Belgium, the visiting fans will be a 10 per cent minority.
The pressure, however, will not be any less. But then, that has been a constant companion through Murray’s career, alongside Perry’s ghost. And he has triumphed over both in the past.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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