The Davis Cup Chronicles: Andy Murray takes heat over withdrawal, "It was a shock to me..." says brother Jamie

Battling brothers: Jamie Murray is giving his little brother a public spanking. Andy recently pulled out of Britain's upcoming Davis Cup tie, their first in the World Group in five years, versus the tough Argentinean team due to a right knee issue. At the time, the British No. 1 said,

"I am very disappointed not to be joining my Davis Cup teammates in Buenos Aires because I love playing for my country and have always enjoyed the team atmosphere of the Davis Cup. Since returning from Australia my knee is still bothering me and the experts have advised me that going from hard courts to playing 5 set matches on clay and then back to indoor hard courts could increase the chances of further injury, set me back even more, and I don’t want to take that risk."

John Lloyd, Britain's Davis Cup captain, was clearly disappointed at the prospect of losing his top baller but didn't sound completely convinced of Andy's intentions saying,

"I think he's very disappointed, he says he is, and we're waiting to hear from him. The team is very disappointed but what can you do? It's one of those things."

Now a surprised and irritated Jamie Murray has joined the public flogging, according to The Independent. The elder Murray talked to the press before this weekend's tie and said,

"It was a shock to me, and I think for the team it's also very disappointing, [...] It's a shame that he decided that it was best for him not to come here. It kind of affects the way we feel about him. [...] "From what I've heard he hasn't actually said that he was injured, it was more of a preventive thing, [...] If he really wanted to push himself, he probably could have come here to play the tie."

The Independent also mentioned that "it did not help his public relations that his own website showed him playing football with three friends last week." Now, lo and behold, Andy's site is showing photos of him getting treatment on the tender knee:


Hmmm - coincidence or conspiracy? Either way, family dinners at the Murray house just got a little bit uncomfortable. But we'd still take a seat at that table.

(images via BBC, AndyMurray.com)