Goodwall leads inexperienced Team GB
Andy Murray unable to lead Great Britain
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Thursday, 05, Mar 2009 08:03
Josh Goodwall will begin Great Britain's quest to get back into the Davis Cup world group after he was picked to start the tie against the Ukraine.
The British number two, who is leading the team in the absence of the unwell Andy Murray, will face Ilya Marchenko in the first singles match of Euro/Africa Zone Group One tie.
World number 383 Chris Eaton faces the daunting task of taking on Ukrainian number one Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second singles match. Stakhovsky is ranked 125th in the world and only narrowly lost to Murray in three tight sets in Dubai last week.
The doubles match on Saturday, which could prove crucial come the end of tie, will see Ross Hutchins team-up with Colin Fleming to face Stakhovsky and Sergei Bubka. The tie will close with the reverse singles matches with Goodwall facing Stakhovsky and Eaton against Marchenko.
With the absence of Murray, this is the most inexperienced British Davis Cup team in history with only Hutchins playing before. But captain John Lloyd refused to accept the idea that his young players have nothing to lose.
"I don't like that phrase - I think it's a cop-out," said Lloyd. "I don't believe in that at all; I don't think that's a good message.
"You've got a match to lose, so you have got something to lose. That's the way I look at it. You go forward with guns blazing. Don't come off and say, 'I had nothing to lose'."