• Chris Wilkinson

A blank slate

Dan Evans lost both of his singles matches against Poland last September © Getty Images

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Britain head to Lithuania this weekend for their Davis Cup tie without their two best players - Andy Murray has chosen not to take part, while Alex Bogdanovic has not been selected. Britain's captain John Lloyd has opted for youth over experience, and though it is a gamble it is certainly the best long-term option.

From Murray's point of view it's probably a good idea to skip the tie. The fact Britain are in such a low division it gives other guys the experience and it's a fantastic opportunity for James Ward and Dan Evans to play the singles ties.

It comes at a difficult time for Murray, just before the hard-court season in the States and he has got to prepare for that, it is an important part of the season for him on his favoured surface; the Davis Cup would have been a distraction. I can completely understand his decision - Roger Federer doesn't always play Davis Cup, and Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras sometimes missed matches.

I can also see why Bogdanovic hasn't been picked - he hasn't got a good record in the Davis Cup. But on the other hand we would have a better chance of winning with Bogdanovic - he is our best-ranked player after Murray at 147 and it's ironic because he's playing quite well at the moment. But I can understand Lloyd's point of view - he has bad history in the Davis Cup and he wants to start with a completely blank slate.

It's not good timing for Britain because Lithuania's best player Ricardas Berankis has had his best result two weeks ago, when he qualified for the main draw at San Jose and then reached the quarter-finals, where he lost to Fernando Verdasco. He's now moved up into the top 200.

But the Lithuanian No. 2, Laurynas Grigelis is ranked outside of the top 500 and you would expect both Ward and Evans (ranked 250 and 252 respectively) to beat him. It's the doubles that will be the important match - realistically we ought to be looking at our two singles guys beating Grigelis and then winning the doubles.

But it is a big week for Evans and Ward, and they need to take this opportunity, enjoy it and just give it everything. Lloyd has taken a gamble with the youngsters, but he's not got much to lose - we are at the bottom anyway and there is only so far they can fall. In the long term it is a good move - it gives these guys some experience. If you are going to try anything, it is as good a time as any to start from scratch.

It should be more than comfortable really, but you never know with the Davis Cup, it's a completely different experience. I remember playing in the Davis Cup against Hungary on clay in 1993 with Jeremy Bates. We were expected to win but we lost 3-2 - I lost both of my singles matches.

The Davis Cup is unique - it's completely different from normal tour events. Tennis is an individual sport - there aren't many events where you are playing as a team. Then there is the added pressure playing away from home - the home crowd always makes the opposition play better. But to represent your country is an honour and to play as part of a team is something special.

If you look at some countries, like Spain, the Davis Cup is really big there. Rafael Nadal plays, they hire out a bull ring and they make a big thing of it. If Nadal is not fit then another top-twenty player like David Ferrer or Fernando Verdasco can step in and take his place. But if Murray isn't playing, the next person coming isn't going to be good enough. Britain hasn't got that strength in depth in the squad in British rankings full stop.

Andy Murray has played just two competitive matches since the Australian Open in January © Getty Images

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Murray is not Roger Federer
Looking at Murray's schedule, last year he went to the Australian Open having won in Doha and then went to Rotterdam and won and then reached the quarters in Dubai. Obviously his way of thinking was turning up fresher having recharged his batteries and win Dubai, but things didn't go to plan. From his point of view he needs to be careful - he is not Roger Federer who can turn up at any tournament and win, Murray needs to work harder to win points and to do that he needs matches behind him. He needs to look at his schedule carefully.

He's now missed three tournaments (Doha, Rotterdam, Marseille) and it didn't work out at Dubai, whether he wasn't fit or wasn't in the right frame of mind, but he just looked disinterested. He needs to be careful. The hard-court season is coming up now and if he loses early on in Indian Wells or Miami, where he was a winner and a runner-up, he will start slipping down the rankings.

His ranking is important because it affects his seeding and if he slips he will start meeting the better players earlier in tournaments. Also, Murray still hasn't won a Grand Slam, and he can't yet put himself in the same category as the others in the top five. Until he has got a Slam under his belt he still needs a good ranking.

He's got a good chance at Indian Wells and Miami - hard courts are his favourite surface and we would expect him to be too good to lose early, but having not had as many matches going into the tournaments, you never know. He's had a different preparation and build-up to last year when he did really well, so watch this space.

Djokovic needs to go back to basics
And finally, congratulations to Novak Djokovic who won his first title of the year in Dubai, and it is the first time he has successfully defended a title having won there last year. But what on earth has he done with his serve? Technically he has done something really bizarre with it - it's almost like he shot putts the ball over the net! His arm and elbow are really straight and really low. He hit a lot of double faults under pressure - his technique seems to break down. He's the No. 2 player in the world and his serve has gone to pieces. If he wants to give me a call, I'm happy to give him a coaching session!

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1. He joins ESPN.co.uk as our resident expert, providing an exclusive view on the world of tennis.

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