Tennis: Five talking points for Belgium-Britain Davis Cup final

GHENT, BELGIUM: Five talking points for Davis Cup final between Belgium and Britain which starts in Ghent on Friday: - Murray magic [caption id=“attachment_2522994” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Belgium’s David Goffin and Britain’s Andy Murray before the finals/ AFP[/caption] The outstanding British player of the modern era has been the inspiration behind the drive into the Davis Cup final, winning all eight of his rubbers - six singles and two doubles. He will be expected once again to garner all three points in Ghent. This at the end of a gruelling season that saw him finish the year number two in the world. Can the Scot’s stamina hold up in the face of such physical and mental pressure? - Home advantage At the start of the year no-one was betting on Belgium reaching the Davis Cup final for just the second time, 111 years after they first did so. But three straight home ties against teams shorn of their top players has opened a huge doorway for a country better-known for its female players. The Belgians will once again enjoy home advantage for the final on a preferred clay surface and with most of the 13,000-crowd cheering them on. - Brotherly love Andy and Jamie Murray seldom play together on the ATP Tour as Andy concentrates on his singles career. But they know each other’s game inside out from their childhood days and form a formidable pairing in the Davis Cup. This year already they have scored vital wins over France and Australia en route to the final, and their contribution on Saturday could once again be crucial. - Shark attack Steve Darcis, nicknamed “shark”, and best-known for defeating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2013, could well be the key Belgian. David Goffin is expected to go 1-1 leaving Darcis (and Kimmer Coppejans) to try and beat the Murray brothers in the doubles. Darcis could return for the deciding singles rubber instead of Ruben Bemelmans if Sunday goes to the wire. Darcis has a handy 17/8 win/loss Davis Cup record and supplied the winning point in the semis against Argentina. - Surface to surface The final is taking place on clay indoors at the Flanders Expo centre outside Ghent. That was the surface chosen by the Belgium hosts because they thought it would be the least suitable for Andy Murray. But none of the players have any recent experience of playing on clay indoors – the speed, bounces and trajectories – and there is also the question of how well the surface has been laid and whether it can survive three days of testing tennis. AFP