Just In: Team GB suffer huge Davis Cup blow on eve of first match as top player pulls out
Team GB has taken a blow ahead of their Davis Cup tie against Ecuador, with squad veteran Cameron Norrie pulling out. The British No.2 first made his appearance in Britain’s Davis Cup squad in 2018 and has won 10 singles matches for his country. But Norrie, 30, was forced to pull out with an arm injury on the eve of the tie.
Team captain Leon Smith said: “It’s a real tough one. He’d really committed to this. He’s been talking about it all year. But he was feeling his arm a little bit. Doesn’t seem like it’s anything major.
We’re at the stage of the year where I reckon it was the last week of the year to get out there and have been able to do it, but I think there’s still a lot of tennis to be played.
“We’re gutted for him, but he’s gonna be around for the weekend supporting, which is great for us to have him around with his experience.”
Arthur Fery will lead the team as the No.1 singles player, returning to London following a sensational summer that saw him reach the Wimbledon semi-finals and finish runner-up in Winston-Salem.
“It feels great,” the world No.36, who made his Davis Cup debut against Poland a year ago, said. “We played individually the whole year, so now playing in a team event representing my country and our country, it’s great. I’m really looking forward to getting out there this weekend and doing it with a great bunch of guys.”
And in Norrie’s absence, Toby Samuel will be the No.2 player. Samuel, who cracked the top 100 this week after qualifying for the US Open and reaching the second round, faces Ecuador’s top player, Andres Andrade, on Saturday.
Ahead of his debut, the new world No.95 said: “I’m so excited to play. I’ve been through the college system so playing for a team is what I love to do and it’s how I got into pro tennis.”
But Ecuador, who shocked Australia in a qualifier tie earlier this year, know this is a huge opportunity to make the Davis Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1985.
Andrade said: “I look at it as a positive thing for us. Toby hasn’t played Davis Cup before. So I’m also gonna use that to my advantage. He just cracked top 100, so it’s still going to be a tough match no matter what.”
