Great Britain to wait on Andy Murray's fitness as Davis Cup quarter-final with Germany awaits

It will be Great Britain v Germany in the quarter-finals of this self-styled “World Cup of Tennis”. And judging by the pattern of an often shambolic week – which saw the USA finish their group match against Belgium at 4.04am on Thursday morning – we can expect Friday's match to go to extra time.

Jamie Murray – who helped Great Britain top Group E on Thursday with a fine doubles win over Kazakhstan – predicted an “evenly-matched tie”. It is certainly a hard one to predict.

For one thing, there is no form book to look at, because the last Davis Cup meeting between these teams came all the way back in 1973. For another, no-one is quite sure whether Andy Murray – who was omitted from an active tie on Thursday for the first time since he was 18 – is going to play.

“He doesn't have to decide tonight,” said Leon Smith, the British captain, after Thursday's match. “It's probably quite a good thing it's a later start tomorrow. We can do some practice, see how things feel, and then make a decision.”

If you haven’t been following recent events in Madrid, this might seem hard to understand. Why would Smith leave out the man who won the Davis Cup virtually single-handed in 2015, and who announced his return to competitive form by lifting the Antwerp ATP title last month?

But Andy Murray has been complaining about his indifferent fitness levels this week – the result of a few weeks concentrating on new baby son Teddy and eating what he has described as “chocolate biscuits … lots of cake and junk”.

Murray had expected everything to click back into place as soon as he restarted training. But after struggling through the tightest of victories on Wednesday against world No 179 Tallon Griekspoor, he shamefacedly admitted that “it takes a bit longer to get going” at 32 than it did when he was 25. He also said that carrying an extra four or five kilos around the court – the weight of a medicine ball, as he put it – had affected his performance in that 2hr 55min win over Griekspoor.

Hence Smith’s decision to omit Murray on Thursday in favour of Kyle Edmund, who produced a sizzling display in the opening match against Kazakh No 2 Mikhail Kukushkin. Conditions here are lively, because of Madrid’s 700-metre altitude, and Edmund’s armour-piercing forehand was in its element throughout his 6-3, 6-3 win.

“I think it was obvious that Andy wasn't at his best on the court,” said Smith, when asked about Thursday's selection. “It would have been difficult for him to go again today, after his exertions [against Griekspoor] to the level that a fresh Kyle can do. And Kyle played really well.”

Even so, the smart money must be on Murray returning to play the No 2 slot against Philipp Kohlschreiber, an old foe whom he has beaten in their last five meetings. Despite his self-admonishments about his recent weight gain – something he said was “my fault, no-one else’s responsibility – it is hardly as if he needs gastric-band surgery.

As for the No 1 singles spot, that will surely go to Edmund, who was more upbeat and cheerful after Thursday's win than at any time this season. The alternative would be to pick Dan Evans, but he has lost both his matches this week despite claiming a one-set lead on each occasion.

Evans’s problem has been his relative lack of power. He is only 5ft 9in tall, and on Thursday he was bullied out of the way by Alexander Bublik, a 6ft 6in beanpole who hits both his first serve and second serve at maximum power.

“I've played two huge guys who have served well [the first being the Netherlands’ 6ft 3in Robin Haase] and I just haven't come out on top,” said a disconsolate Evans afterwards. “If I'm needed again, I'll put my game on the court and try to get us through. If I'm not, I'll be there on the side supporting.”

The No 1 German player, Jan-Lennard Struff, is another 6ft 4in slugger. If he ends up playing Edmund on Friday night, as expected, it will be an alpha-male showdown between two heavy-hitters. The doubles, too, will be tough to call.

Jamie Murray and his regular partner, Davis Cup debutant Neal Skupski, saved the team again with a 6-1, 6-4 win over the less well-acquainted combination of Bublik and Kukushkin. But the Germans can field Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, this year’s French Open champions.

Penalties cannot decide the outcome of Friday's quarter-final, but no-one would be surprised if the whole shooting match went down to a first-to-seven-point tie-break in the deciding doubles rubber – which is effectively the same thing. With any luck, Murray and Skupski won’t end up feeling like Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle.