(Well, they certainly look trust-worthy.)

Depending on which one you talk to, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are either embroiled in a battle for the year ending No. 1 (Federer) or just in London to have some fun (Nadal). Fibs or frankness? You decide.

Here’s Federer talking to reporters during the World Tour Finals Media Day on Wednesday (via the AFP):

“I am aware of it (the race to finish world number one) and I would be lying if I said I was just here to play well.”

“Definitely I am here to win the tournament and to try to stay number one in the world. It is obvious.”

“The competition is really stiff so it is not going to be easy for me or Rafa if he wants to get it.”

But Rafael Nadal says he’s actually not too interested in the whole “battle for the year end No. 1” thing. (via AFP)

“For me the main thing is to be here and enjoy this experience,” Nadal told reporters. “Playing the tournament in London will be amazing.”

“The rest, finishing number one doesn’t matter. My only goal is to try to play my best tennis here in London.”

“If I win the tournament it doesn’t matter if I am number ten. The ranking is important yes, but not the most important thing for me.”

“For the last five years I was two and one in the rankings, so I have had this experience for a long time.”

“If I am competitive to try to win then I am more than happy. If I win this tournament it doesn’t matter if I am one, two or three.”

Click here to see how the No. 1 ranking may shake out in London.

On a side note, Federer also told Reuters that he’s “looking forward” to playing Andy Murray this week – and improving his 3-6 record against the Scot to, say, 5-6:

“I hope so,” the 28-year-old replied when asked about the prospect of playing Murray in the round-robin and then again in the final. “If I beat him twice, that means I’m in the finals, he’s in the finals and everybody is happy. Right?”

Well maybe not everybody, Rog. But I like the way you think.

Action beings on Sunday at the O2 arena: Andy Murray plays Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer plays Fernando Verdasco.  Rafael Nadal begins his bid for year-ending No. 1 – or not, whatever – on Monday when he plays Robin Soderling. It’s Djokovic vs. Davydenko on Monday evening.

Click here for the ATP World Finals website. Click here for the U.S. TV schedule and here for tennis live streaming options.

Yes! The ATP World Tour Finals can’t start before the requisite Men in Suits photo session. Along with the British press, another overlooked benefit of hosting the ATP World Tour Finals in London is seeing Federer, Nadal and the rest of the top guys in bespoke tailoring (at least I’ll pretend it is.) Here are some photos from Class Picture Day – I mean ATP World Tour Media Day at the County Hall Marriot Hotel.

These school assemblies are always so boring. . .

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth via Daylife

Really, how lucky are we to have three ATP Top Models in the final 8?  Federer, Djokovic and Verdasco are obviously engaged in a heated pose-off in the photo below. While I love Roger’s masculine bearing, Nole takes it with his casual Gene Kelly elegance. Verdasco gets points for coaching del Po and Soderling has an honorable mention for his Swedish Sears catalogue look. Davydenko is obviously in character for the starving P.O.W. role he’s playing next week in the West End.

How the heck did Andy Murray get Dr. Ivo’s pants?

Who will be head of the class?

Nice trophy, right? It was made in England by expert silversmiths. You can check out the video on the ATP website.

Some year book photos:

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth via Daylife

Candids! This one’s begging for a caption:

And thanks to “Tem” for passing along the Bryan Bro’s snapshot:

I’m a little concerned about Rafa’s hair:

I think Roger is, too:

Yes, Roger is deep in thought about it.

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

Rafa’s like “awkward!”

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

What ho! Is that Halley’s Comet or ATP CEO Adam Helfant? The players record this momentous occasion:

Andy Murray and the Bryan Brothers took part in the draw ceremony for the ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday in a pod of the London Eye Ferris wheel. Here are the round robin groups for the singles and doubles competitions, which run from November 22 – 29:

2009 ATP World Tour Finals Singles Draw:

Group A
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
Juan Martin del Potro
Fernando Verdasco

Group B
Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic
Nikolay Davydenko
Robin Soderling

Group A: Based on head-to-heads, Murray rules Group A. He holds a winning record over everyone else, for a combined win-loss tally of 17-5.  Roger has a 12-7 win-loss record over Group A, with 6 of those 7 losses coming to Andy Murray. All the players in this group have struggled with injury since the US Open, with Murray winning the group’s only title a couple weeks ago in Valencia. Based on the head-to-heads, recent form, and home-crowd advantage, Murray’s a shoe-in for the semis. And Roger Federer (apart from being Roger Federer) has the extra motivation of playing for the year-end No. 1. Group A matches up badly for Verdasco and del Potro is likely too gimpy to get through. But you never know – the tournament can’t be called the WTF for nothin’.

Your predictions:

Group B: This is where the Mojo’s at! Based on their form, Nole and Kolya (the 2008 WTF finalists) are the guys to beat – not only in the Group but in the entire tournament. Nole, the defending champ, has been on a tear this fall, winning 3 titles: over Cilic in Beijing, Roger Federer in Basel and Gael Monfils in Paris (where he also took out Rafael Nadal in straights in the semis.) His only loss in the past months has been to Nikolay Davydenko in the semis of the Shanghai Masters. Kolya went on to win the title, beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the finals. Speaking of Rafa – he’s lost to all of the Group B players in their most recent meetings. The most painful loss was to Robin Soderling in the round of 16 at the French. Besides the possibility of retaking the no. 1 ranking from Roger, revenge may be the major motivator as the Spaniard progresses through Group B.

Your predictions:

2009 ATP World Tour Finals Doubles Draw – Nestor and Zimonjic and the Bryan Bros are battling for the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Group A
Daniel Nestor – Nenad Zimonjic
Mahesh Bhupathi – Mark Knowles
Frantisek Cermak – Michal Mertinak
Mariusz Fyrstenberg – Marcin Matkowski

Group B
Bob Bryan – Mike Bryan
Lukas Dlouhy – Leander Paes
Lukasz Kubot – Oliver Marach
Max Mirnyi – Andy Ram

As the first round of news stories rolls in in anticipation of next week’s ATP World Tour Finals, I’m realizing that there’s a hidden bonus to staging the event in London: the British press! And as with any tournament that pits Great British Hope Andy Murray vs. the Great-White-Chocolate-Loving Roger Federer, the U.K. papers have started stirring the pot.

Here’s Federer quoted in Tuesday’s Independent (I believe these remarks were taken in Paris or Basel, not sure):

“I had a lot of trouble against those baseliners (like Nalbandian and Hewitt) early on just because they were too consistent. They could always get one more ball back. Maybe they didn’t have the best serve, but I wasn’t the best return player, so I couldn’t take advantage. My serve wasn’t solid enough yet, so I would always get tangled up in those horrible baseline rallies.

“Murray can still do that to some degree, but when I play too well or too offensively I can take time away from him now. And I’m too physical, whereas in the beginning I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t get around backhands like I can now. Now I can mix up my game too well for him to get under my skin.

“I know what I can do and I know what he can do. When we both play well it’s a close match, but I always feel it’s the attacker who holds the key to success, so it’s up to me whether I win or lose, not up to him. That’s why I don’t mind the match-up, to be honest.

“It’s like when [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi played. Agassi was more aggressive [than most counter-attackers], but still Sampras held the key because he was serving, pushing the limits, taking the risks. Which Murray doesn’t do so much – though that doesn’t take anything away from Murray. That’s just his game style.

“Everybody has his own game and you can’t change the way you play. It’s just something you’re born with. He comes to the net more, for instance, than other players. I think if you look closely, every player needs to have something aggressive in his game to play well. If you want to be a top player you need to have offensive skills.“

I know, I know. Sometimes Roger just can’t help himself. Since ascending to the throne as King of Tennis, there’s always at least one Impertinent Prince that gets Roger’s goat (GOAT?), whether it’s the “unimpressive” Novak Djokovic or the “one-dimensional” Rafael Nadal. Murray should take Roger’s trash talk for what it is: a compliment. (Backhanded, of course.)

Murray leads Federer 6-3 in their head-to-head. Roger trounced Murray the last time they played, in straight sets this summer in Cincy. Before that match, Murray had beaten Roger four consecutive times, including in last year’s round robin portion of the year-ending finals. That loss knocked Roger out of the tournament, though Murray had already qualified for the semis and was psychologically playing a dead rubber. (Roger’s other loss at last year’s WTF was to another counter-puncher, Gilles Simon. )

Thanks to Judy for the tip!

Andy Murray beat Mikhail Youzhny in the Valencia final on Sunday: 6-3, 6-2. Murray, the tournament’s top-seed, was playing his first tournament after six weeks off recovering from a wrist injury.

Here’s Murray’s post-match interview:

And some highlights from the match:

Andy “the teetotal” Murray goes into the Paris Masters tournament with an undefeated indoor record for 2009: 12-0. He and Roger Federer are on the same side of the draw. Djokovic or Nadal could await in the final.

“This is how you do it, Mikhail”:

What’s coming out of the taps in Basel? Whether it’s Lindt chocolate or clean, crisp natural spring water, we have three Swiss players into the Basel quarterfinals on Friday. The last and only other time Basel saw three Swiss in the quarterfinals was eight years ago, when Federer, George Bastl and Michel Kratochvil made it through. (via the ATP)

Unless you’re a pretty hard-core Federer fan (or Swiss) it’s hard to even name three Swiss players on the tour. There’s Roger, of course, and ol’ Stanislas Wawrinka and. . .Marco Chiudinelli? You do know Marco, right? He was a guest at Roger’s wedding! He also finished last year at No. 779 in the world, after a year off with injury. Since then, he’s climbed to a career-best ranking of No. 71 last week and is now a candidate for the ATP’s Comeback Player of the Year. A Swiss with an upside – like the Alps.

But no Swiss is safe as long as Novak Djokovic sticks around. He double-bageled Jan Hernych on Thursday on his way to the quarters.

Here’s the order of play in Basel on Friday:

Stepanek vs. Cilic
Wawrinka vs. Djokovic
Chiudinelli vs. Gasquet
Federer vs. Korolev

It’s nice to see Richard Gasquet back in the mix and playing well after his suspension. He fought through a tough three setter on Thursday, saving match points against John Isner, and it was a pleasure watching him play. That backhand belongs in a museum – or on a stage.

Here’s Richard talking about Thursday’s victory and his return to tour:

In Valencia, Andy Murray survived losing the second set to Leonardo Mayer and will advance to the quarterfinals. Defending champ David Ferrer withdrew from his match against Albert Montanes due to a hamstring injury and is out of contention for the World Tour Finals (otherwise known as the WTF). Davydenko and Verdasco both kept their hopes for London alive by winning their matches.

Here’s Friday’s order of play in Valencia:

Youzhny vs. Simon
Murray vs. Montanes
Garcia-Lopez vs. Davydenko
Verdasco vs. Robredo

I guess I should point out that four Spaniards made it to the quarters in Valencia, but that’s really not too surprising, is it?

This video shows off the stupendous (stupefying?) new tennis complex in Valencia. The Ágora building, which holds the center court, is straight out of a science fiction movie. Check it out:

Click here for the Basel TV schedule. Click here for the Valencia TV schedule (coverage begins on Saturday)

The Times U.K. reports that Andy Murray has signed a five-year sponsorship deal with German brand adidas, worth over $16,000,000 (£10 million).

Via the adidas press release:

adidas has a new addition to its tennis line-up in 2010 with Andy Murray joining the global sportswear brand.  The 22-year-old Briton will sport the iconic 3-Stripes from January onwards joining a list of illustrious athletic names including Muhammad Ali, David Beckham, Rod Laver and Stan Smith.  Andy will wear the adidas apparel Competition line and the world’s biggest selling tennis shoe, the Barricade.

According to the Times, Murray was “determined to stay loyal” to his long-time sponsor, Fred Perry, until after the celebration of the founder’s 100th birthday this summer. Festivities included putting Murray in the only decent outfit the British company ever made for him – the retro shorty shorts number he modeled at Wimbledon:

Murray will be showing off his new “exclusive” adidas look at January’s Hopman Cup, where he’ll be pairing up with Laura Robson. Robson signed her own deal with adidas at the ripe old age of eleven.

Andy Murray is appropriately thrilled at the partnership:

“I’m really excited to be joining adidas as they are a massive global sports brand with a credible heritage in tennis.  Joining a list of stars who have worn the brand, including Muhammad Ali and David Beckham, is an honour.  I’m in no doubt that this deal will help me both on and off the court.“

Yep, Andy, this deal definitely will help you off the court – and all the way to the bank!

Andy Murray won his first round match in Valencia on Tuesday.

UPDATE: Since we started chatting about the Nole/Murray rivalry in terms of sponsorship, I’d live to thank LilyPop for reminding me that Djokovic may be switching to KSwiss at the end of the year. Form SportsBusiness Journal:

“K-Swiss is looking to make a splash with a major tennis endorsement, having already made a run at Andy Murray and continuing to talk with Novak Djokovic, whose contract with Adidas expires at the end of this year.”

So we’ll see!

A lot of interesting stories continue to develop in Tennis Land, so I thought I’d put them all down in one place:

Let’s start with some fun stuff. Reporter Matt Cronin via Twitter: “Sharapova recently began dating the Lakers’ Sasha Vujacic. Now if she can only help “The Machine” get his deadly jump shot back.”

Vujacic is 25 years old, Slovenian and 6′7″ tall (so about Sharapova’s stiletto-height.)  Last year, he signed a three-year, 15 million dollar deal with the LA Lakers. Have fun, kids!

Here’s Sasha working the red carpet, Sharapova style:

Speaking of the young and super-rich – after collecting her $1.5 million dollar check in Doha this weekend, Serena Williams set the single-season record for prize money earned on the WTA tour: $6,545,586. Earlier this year, Serena surpassed Lindsey Davenport to become the first woman to earn more than $23 million in career prize money in any single sports league. (via Reuters) Serena may only have won three titles this year, but she knows how to pick ‘em. But Serena is not picking Fed Cup this weekend, abruptly withdrawing her participation last week just days after volunteering it. Here’s the reaction of team Captain, Mary Joe Fernandez via ESPN:

Fernandez, the ESPN analyst who was once a Fed Cup stalwart herself, sounded as if she had a little emotional whiplash Saturday after getting the news. “[Williams] e-mailed me,” Fernandez said. “She said she feels terrible and wishes she could be there, but she feels like she’d be a burden. I’m watching her play (in Doha) now.” “We were so excited that she was going to go, but what can you say? It’s the end of the year and everybody’s hurt. Billie Jean King always told me that you have to take the people who can go and who want to be there.”

Perhaps Serena’s exhausted by the Battle of the Books, as the hype surrounding Andre Agassi’s autobiography “Open,” continues to dominate the headlines. Shortly after winning in Doha she flew to London to promote her own book “My Life: Queen of the Court” at a book signing at Harrods. Agassi will be appearing on “60 Minutes” this Sunday, the evening before his book hits the shelves.

Andy Murray is the latest tennis star to offer his opinion on Agassi’s crystal-meth use and drug test cover-up, offering this supportive take (via the Guardian):

I don’t think any of the players expected it, but you’ve just got to move on,” he said in Valencia, where he is due to return to the ATP Tour tomorrow after six weeks off with a left-wrist problem.

“I loved Andre, met him numerous times. He was unbelievably nice to me. I practised with him quite a lot. I guess it’s something he has to deal with himself. He’s entitled to say whatever he wants and I wish him the best.”

“I judge him as a tennis player, he was great, a great player, one of the best of all time. From the experiences I have had with him, he’s been nice to me. No one wants drugs in sport but everyone makes mistakes.”

“I didn’t play in those times [when Agassi failed a test] so I don’t know what it was like. There are even cases now where guys get off, with failed tests and contaminations, mistakes, like with the [Richard] Gasquet case. Sometimes things like that happen. People get away with it sometimes but I just don’t think drugs in tennis is a big problem like it is in other sports.”

Fernando Verdasco, who has recently spent some quality time in Las Vegas with Agassi and Adidas trainer Gil Reyes, agrees with Murray:

“He was my idol, all my life when I was a kid, and he will still be my idol,” the Spaniard said. “Everyone can make mistakes. My thoughts about Andre will not change because of this. He is a great person, he is always trying to help me and that for me is more important.”

Tennis writer Peter Bodo thinks more players should be voicing their support of Agassi, and condemns cynics who think Agassi’s confession is a ploy to sell more books: “Condemn Agassi all you want, but he respected you enough to tell the truth about himself and his time in the game.”

But if you still want to condemn the ATP for the cover-up, click here to read a former ATP-exec’s inside story.

Super-coach Brad Gilbert, who worked with Agassi from 1994 – 2002, told the The New York Times he had no idea about Agassi’s drug problems or the failed 1997 test:

“Maybe it was me being naïve, but I had no clue,” Gilbert said in a telephone interview Friday from his home in San Rafael, Calif.

“I did a really good job of sticking to the tennis court,” Gilbert said. “If Andre asked for something outside it, I would give it. I just wouldn’t ask him about it or volunteer something I wouldn’t have knowledge about. Because we hung out a ton, but that doesn’t mean you ask things that are personal.”

“I probably would have been up a creek if I would have known,”

Someone who always seems to be up the injury creek is Tommy Haas, who has withdrawn from this week’s Davidoff Swiss Indoors tournament due to Swine Flu. He came down with the flu before withdrawing from the Stockholm tournament a couple weeks ago and is unlikely to participate in the Paris Masters (via the Telegraph):

“I did a test because I suspected I had the swine flu and the test was positive,” he said. “It was obviously a shock for me.”

“I am quite relaxed because I know that swine flu is a particularly strong form of flu, but when you are in a good physical condition like I am, then you can quickly beat it off,” he added.

“It was really bad for three days and I couldn’t leave my hotel room,” he revealed. “I felt really bad.”

This will be Haas’s third straight withdrawal/retirement, having started the streak at October’s Shanghai Masters, where he retired from his second round match due to a shoulder injury.

Haas may be out of contention for the World Tour Finals in London, but plenty of other guys are still fighting for the last two spots. Click here for the ATP’s “on the bubble” break-down. (Hang tough, Stepanek fans!)

Rafael Nadal, who is taking a break from tennis this week, will appear in an in-depth interview on CNN’s Talk Asia. Here’s some of what he has to say:

On how Roger Federer has inspired him:

“What makes me a better player isn’t seeing Roger being a perfect player. What makes me a better player is to watch Roger always improve because when he was number one in 2004…I saw him and he was an unbelievable player, but after a few times, he was better and he was improving during all his career. And that says to me is you must improve all the time.”

On his career’s longevity:

“A lot of people finish their career at 29 years old and he started at 20 or 21. But I started at 16 and already I have seven years in total. I am not finished. I expect to be here and hope to be here for a long time. That’s what I can say. . .I think if I am not having chances to win important tournaments, I’m gonna go. That’s my feeling. I have already seven years like this and I hope be here as long as I can, but having 14 or 16 career years seems a lot.”

Click here for more from Rafa.

French chicken – and I’m not talking coq au vin. The French Tennis Federation is threatening to pull the French Open out of its current location if the Paris city council continues to stall the tournament’s expansion plans (via ESPN):

“It seems that the mayor’s entourage has become more hostile to our project — which was not the case when we launched it,” (FFT director general Gilbert) Ysern said. “Add to that the residents’ opposition and we are now forced to look for other options, including that of leaving the premises.”

A site near Disneyland Paris is a rumored alternative. I say it’s a stupid idea – roof or no roof, the French Open belongs at Roland Garros!

Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Thailand Open today, citing the abdominal injury that has been troubling him since the Rogers Cup tournament in Montreal this August.

Via rafaelnadal.com

“I am very disappointed not to be able to play in Bangkok. I was looking forward to this tournament but the injury I have been suffering during the North American summer swing needs to be taken care of. I am really looking forward to playing next year in Thailand where I have a very loyal and big fan base.”

And via the AP:

An ultrasound found that Nadal had an “acute rupture of his right abdominal muscle” that will require physiotherapy, rest and medication for “two to three weeks,” the chief doctor of the Spanish Tennis Federation said in a statement released by tournament organizers on Monday.

The Thailand Open runs from Sept. 26-Oct. 4

Rafael Nadal has company in the ATP’s medical ward. The two other guys in the top 3 are also hurting.

Here’s Andy Murray on his wrist injury (via the BBC)

“The pain’s bearable but I need to decide what to do next because it’s such a short turnaround at the end of the year and the preparations for Australia have to be very good because of the conditions so I need to decide when I can fit in a long break.”

“Whether that’s 14 days or longer, you just have to be careful with wrists and not keep playing when there’s something wrong because the problem doesn’t go away.”

Murray said his main goal is to be fit for the World Tour Finals in November.

Roger Federer, who, like Murray, played in Davis Cup this past weekend, says he’s hurting for a holiday (via AP):

“I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm — everything is hurting. And I’ve got to do some baby-sitting. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the tennis court the last few weeks.”

Roger’s next scheduled tournament is the Tokyo Open, beginning on October 5.

He’s going to Disneyland. . .or somewhere. Photo by: Angelo Tonelli

Though both semifinals were decided on Saturday, with Spain and the Czech Republic destined to meet in the finals, some Davis Cup drama still remained on Day 3.

After winning the doubles rubber against Team Suisse on Saturday, hope remained for the Italians at home. That hope ran out fast on Sunday, despite the two hour rain delay that interrupted Roger Federer’s straight set victory over Potito Starace (subbing for Seppi) in the fourth rubber.

Along with the dropshot, Roger seems to have added the between the legs shot into his regular bag of tricks, using it to good effect in his match against Starace on Sunday (sorry the quality is poor, but you get the idea):

The best news for hot doggin’ Roger Federer? He doesn’t have to play tennis for a while. He revealed after his match that he is suffering from a leg injury and general fatigue:

“I’m very happy to have won the point for Switzerland so that we can play in the World Group again. I’ m very happy with the quality of my game today, as I definitely didn’t feel the best and had a problem on my leg, which has troubled me a bit since the final of the US Open.” (via Daviscup.com)

A few more quotes from Roger Federer on the injury front:

“I took a chance with my fitness because I was not feeling great coming in. I’m happy I kind of survived, but I definitely need a rest right now because my leg is hurting quite a bit.” (via Daviscup.com)

“I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm — everything is hurting. And I’ve got to do some baby-sitting. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the tennis court the last few weeks.” (via the AP)

Federer’s next tournament is the Japan Open, starting on October 5.

Tsonga gives his oh all all. Photo: Virginie Bouyer

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continues to be a Davis Cup stalwart, clinching the tie for France vs. the Netherlands in Sunday’s fourth rubber. Tsonga won all three of his live rubbers for his team this weekend, saying afterwards that the DC atmosphere inspires him:

“I think it (Davis Cup) raises my game because you give everything. It’s very different because everything is more. You have more sentiment. You have more crowd. You have more pressure. . .I enjoy this because it’s different when you win, you win more and more. It’s good.” (via Daviscup.com)

And we enjoy you, too, Jo-Dubs!

Murray mopes for the dopes. Photo: GETTY IMAGES via the Telegraph.

In Zonal Tie news, the controversy grows after Team Britain failed to save themselves despite having a Top 3 player, Andy Murray, a top flight coach, Paul Annacone, and a home crowd advantage against their Polish opponents.

Here’s the Telegraph’s withering summary:

The 3-2 defeat by Poland at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on Sunday, sealed when Dan Evans, the world No 302, got blown off court by a player ranked 376 places below him on the computer, all felt so familiar, a Davis Cup Sunday roast replete with all the old trimmings of mediocrity, embarrassment and humiliation.

All credit goes to Andy Murray – playing for the third day despite an ongoing wrist injury – for winning Sunday’s fourth rubber and evening things at  2-2. Of course, that just made it more torturous for the home crowd, when Britain’s 19-year-old Dan Evans lost the deciding rubber in straight sets to Michal Przysiezny, a guy ranked #678 to Evans’s #302.

Andy Murray was blunt in his appraisal of Team Britain, now bumped down to the “Davis Cup wasteland” of third division play (via the Telegraph):

“I think now, at last, we are where we deserve to be. We clearly are not good enough to be playing against these teams. With or without me, we are struggling to win matches.”

“Everybody who’s involved – and I am one of them – needs to be honest about how we are doing and that we need to get better. This could be the best thing that happens.“

Poor Murray – he’s too young to sound like a disappointed Daddy, but I think he speaks the truth. And like Poppa Fed, he could use a nice, long vacation from tennis.

Click here for more Davis Cup news and results.