:00:30. > :00:39.Welcome to the Davis Cup. We may be talking quite a bit because more
:00:40. > :00:43.rain is expected. Get in touch. And look at our Facebook page as well.
:00:44. > :00:52.We would love to hear from you. This is the scene once again. Hopefully,
:00:53. > :00:55.the stands will fill up. We can hear the students from Stirling
:00:56. > :01:00.University making their presence felt. The players are back on court.
:01:01. > :01:05.They are completing the warm up. That is the good news. The bad news
:01:06. > :01:14.is that we have heard there could be a thunderstorm. Hopefully we could
:01:15. > :01:15.get a lot more play. 2-1 to car -- Kayal Edmond. Let's join our
:01:16. > :01:25.commentators. We've had three games so far and the
:01:26. > :01:32.pool is more full than this morning and could be very full a little bit
:01:33. > :01:40.later on. A lovely sports complex here. Much
:01:41. > :01:44.of the noise is coming from the wonderful British tennis supporters
:01:45. > :01:47.from sterling university. No matter where you put the tie, they're going
:01:48. > :01:51.to get there and make themselves heard. They are on the right of your
:01:52. > :02:02.picture, making a big difference here, it must be said, to all the
:02:03. > :02:16.players in the tie. The dignitaries in position. Getting
:02:17. > :02:21.ready for this first match. Best of five matches in Davis Cup, two
:02:22. > :02:27.singles today. This is the Serbian number two, Janko Tipsarevic, a
:02:28. > :02:40.former world number eight. He's with his captain. Bogdan... I've tried to
:02:41. > :02:49.say his name about 15 times. I can't say it, John. A brilliant doubles
:02:50. > :02:54.player there. He will be required on Saturday.
:02:55. > :03:22.Doubles on Saturday, reverse singles on the final day.
:03:23. > :03:27.21 years of age, Kyle Edmund. This forehand, we've been talking about
:03:28. > :03:31.already, it can get through the court even in heavy conditions. It's
:03:32. > :03:34.a big weapon, no doubt about it. Tipsarevic will have to go
:03:35. > :04:05.down-the-line to keep him honest. Number 67 in the world at the
:04:06. > :04:08.moment. That's a career high by one place for Kyle Edmund. He's one
:04:09. > :06:35.place above Aljaz Bedene now. Once again the pressure from the
:06:36. > :06:37.Edmund forehand keeping Tipsarevic on the run and it's a break of
:06:38. > :06:58.serve. This young man leading the way for
:06:59. > :07:02.Britain, Andy Murray, on the side lines for the tie. But he's
:07:03. > :07:12.supporting his team-mates. He's present in Belgrade. The Wimbledon
:07:13. > :07:17.champion, but this is number one. A lot of errors at the moment from
:07:18. > :07:20.Tipsarevic. He looks a bit tight to me. He's an experienced Davis Cup
:07:21. > :07:24.player. But he's been out for such a long time now. He looks like he's
:07:25. > :07:31.trying to find his way at the moment. Not getting much length on
:07:32. > :07:32.the court. He's allowing Edmund to dictate the
:07:33. > :08:18.vast majority of these rallies. He plays quickly between points,
:08:19. > :08:24.Kyle Edmund. He rushes opponents. He rushes the forehand. He can dictate
:08:25. > :09:33.play. He's an awkward customer, especially on the slower surfaces.
:09:34. > :09:40.Tipsarevic was beaten here, the execution not quite there. He is
:09:41. > :10:36.dictating at the moment, Edmund. Well constructed point there from
:10:37. > :10:41.Edmund. Even on the backhand side, he just has that ability to step up
:10:42. > :10:50.the pace. We've seen it on the forehand, again, it seems to me, at
:10:51. > :10:54.the moment, that he's in the driving seat in these rallies. Tipsarevic,
:10:55. > :11:01.at the moment, is not hitting the ball deep enough to keep Kyle Edmund
:11:02. > :11:03.pinned back. There's been way too many middle-court balls, allowing
:11:04. > :11:10.Kyle Edmund to get on the front foot. He's played very well so far,
:11:11. > :11:14.seemingly not nervous at the moment. For Tipsarevic, he's got to start
:11:15. > :11:18.engaging in some longer rallies here to push Kyle Edmund, see how he is
:11:19. > :11:22.physically. At the moment, these rallies are pretty short and he's
:11:23. > :11:29.allowing the Brit to dictate the points. This is the world team
:11:30. > :11:33.championship, if you like, the World Cup of tennis. Britain are the
:11:34. > :11:37.defending champions, the first victory last year in Belgium on a
:11:38. > :11:45.clay court, where a young Kyle Edmund made a debut in the final. In
:11:46. > :11:51.front after dorg fans he won the first two sets against David Goffin
:11:52. > :11:57.only to lose in five sets. This is only his second singles match.
:11:58. > :12:12.Serbia without of services of Novak Djokovic.
:12:13. > :12:20.Tipsarevic, who's been out with foot injuries and surgeries and 17 months
:12:21. > :12:25.out full on, probably a few weeks before he took the time off and a
:12:26. > :12:28.few weeks after, it really just, you can take those out as well. It's two
:12:29. > :13:01.years plus really he's been affected.
:13:02. > :13:12.Born in this very city, 32 years ago. A proud Serbian tennis player.
:13:13. > :13:35.A proud Serbian. Champion nation in the Davis Cup in 2010.
:13:36. > :13:44.Even though he missed that forehand, again you can just see the
:13:45. > :13:48.difference of pace. Kyle Edmund in comparison with Tipsarevic, he goes
:13:49. > :13:53.through the court fastier, heavier. ( Tipsarevic needs to start getting
:13:54. > :14:56.some length. That's a real strength of the
:14:57. > :15:01.Serbian player. Hasn't had much time to bring it into play yet, John. No,
:15:02. > :15:06.that's about his best shot. I think he is going to have to go behind
:15:07. > :15:11.Kyle Edmund a lot more than he has done. Otherwise Edmund sits in that
:15:12. > :15:15.middle of the court and go out wide on the backhand. Then he can
:15:16. > :15:30.dominate with the forehand or the one down-the-line.
:15:31. > :15:34.Just the pace on that shot, even though that hit the net, it was
:15:35. > :16:46.still too fast. That was an important hold. And the
:16:47. > :16:51.backhand down the line at 30-30 has played its part in keeping
:16:52. > :16:59.Tipsarevic in this set. A best of five set match, match one of a
:17:00. > :17:03.potential five, here. Two singles back-to-back today, a doubles on
:17:04. > :17:28.Saturday. And singles on the Sunday. Lots to look forward to.
:17:29. > :18:41.CHANTING. The trainers, the physios and
:18:42. > :18:43.players. Later on, James Ward will go for Britain against Serbia. Dusan
:18:44. > :19:20.Lajovic. They have got to stop this. Pascal
:19:21. > :19:30.Maria in the chair. There were two calls there,... Ladies and Inkerman,
:19:31. > :19:37.don't make calls during play. Just leave that to the officials. This
:19:38. > :19:43.was the second of the two. That was called out by somebody in the crowd.
:19:44. > :19:49.Kyle Edmund of the sea with no idea of where the call came from. --
:19:50. > :19:56.obviously. CHEERING.
:19:57. > :20:01.And you will notice between first and second serves, a lot of people
:20:02. > :20:05.are calling out and there is hissing. This is Davis Cup. They
:20:06. > :20:14.will hiss and savings and they will find out what your mum and dad are
:20:15. > :20:21.called! Allsorts of things. Well, the good thing, the crowd is pretty
:20:22. > :20:25.sparse. If this was packed, with 6000, you would hear a noise. But I
:20:26. > :20:32.suppose, because of the absence of Novak Djokovic and because of the
:20:33. > :20:35.weather, the crowd as they let in -- the crowd is a lot less vocal and it
:20:36. > :20:46.is the British supporters that you here.
:20:47. > :20:55.New balls, please. Great Britain lead 5-2. I have seen some extremely
:20:56. > :21:00.hostile crowds in Davis Cup. Some of the worst calls made by linesmen
:21:01. > :21:05.have happened in Davis Cup. It has all contributed to the rich history.
:21:06. > :21:10.They have changed it now, because at least they have better refereeing.
:21:11. > :21:13.In the old days, you would get the locals giving you footfalls all the
:21:14. > :21:21.time. There was nothing you could do about it apart from standing for
:21:22. > :21:28.feet behind the line on cell. And in Italy, they would throw coins at
:21:29. > :21:35.you. Dashed behind the line on serve. You either embrace Davis Cup
:21:36. > :21:40.will you don't. And it looks as if so far, as Kyle Edmund went in the
:21:41. > :21:49.final, he has played spectacularly. For a while. At the end in that
:21:50. > :21:54.final, his legs were individually. Tremendous Davis Cup debut. So far,
:21:55. > :21:58.he looks at the experienced player out here. That has surprised me and
:21:59. > :22:03.at the moment, Tipsarevic is surprised at the weapons that the
:22:04. > :22:08.coming up against him. With the big first serve and that forehand.
:22:09. > :22:10.Edmund is getting a lot of quick, cheap points at the moment, which is
:22:11. > :23:20.what he wants. A very good start. Oh, unlucky. He has taken the ball
:23:21. > :23:22.very early, try to not get pinned down behind the baseline. He is
:23:23. > :23:51.taking the ball more on the rise. CHEERING.
:23:52. > :23:58.A very good second serve. Get a lot of work and a lot of cake in that
:23:59. > :24:00.second serve. A good wrist snap. -- a lot of kick. He uses his legs,
:24:01. > :24:14.strong legs. Nice disguise, as well. That is a
:24:15. > :24:17.stronghold and he is asking Kyle Edmund a question here in this game.
:24:18. > :24:32.It will be intriguing to see how Edmund handles this.
:24:33. > :25:14.Well, he knew, going into this match is that the Kyle Edmund forehand is
:25:15. > :25:19.a shock to try to get into play. He skips to his left, trying to cover
:25:20. > :25:24.his backhand. That leaves that gap down the line if you get your
:25:25. > :25:43.technique and timing spot on, which Tipsarevic didn't, on that occasion.
:25:44. > :26:25.CHEERING. GB FANS CHANT.
:26:26. > :26:37.CHEERING. Fantastic play. A couple of big
:26:38. > :26:42.forehand is there. That is the one that really won the point. From
:26:43. > :26:46.there, he is not going to miss this one. But he can create power from
:26:47. > :26:48.anywhere in the court with that shot. Tipsarevic at the moment
:26:49. > :27:18.cannot find a way to that weapon. And it a great start for Great
:27:19. > :27:23.Britain in the quarterfinal. In defence of a title that they won
:27:24. > :27:29.last year. Kyle Edmund has won the first set. Just the one break of
:27:30. > :27:34.serve and no sign of the rain, just yet, either. Which is even more good
:27:35. > :27:39.news. But we here it is coming.
:27:40. > :27:45.STUDIO: A great start for Kyle Edmund. Jamie
:27:46. > :27:51.Baker has been walking with me. A very confident performance from Kyle
:27:52. > :27:54.Edmund. Yes, it looks like he has done his homework and prepared.
:27:55. > :27:59.After he lost at Wimbledon, he would have spent a lot of time working on
:28:00. > :28:03.the clay. He looks comfortable. It's worth mentioning that in the break
:28:04. > :28:08.Tipsarevic has had, he has been out of the game and not able to improve
:28:09. > :28:12.and everybody else has been improving. It looks a little bit as
:28:13. > :28:16.if he has dropped back in and the game has moved on a bit. It is the
:28:17. > :28:20.power and pace of the Edmund forehand he is struggling with. And
:28:21. > :28:27.if we look at the stats, Inglot more winners from Carl than front of
:28:28. > :28:31.serve it. Not such a great first serve percentage but not so
:28:32. > :28:38.important on clay. Tipsarevic has not looked so good. No, he looks
:28:39. > :28:43.better in the first three games before the initial rain delay. But
:28:44. > :28:47.when he came after the rain, it was a sloppy start. Really the story of
:28:48. > :28:51.the first set has been the domination of the Edmund forehand.
:28:52. > :28:55.So I think the Serbian patterned along with Tipsarevic, will have to
:28:56. > :29:00.find a way to disrupt that rhythm and how to keep the ball away from
:29:01. > :29:05.his forehand. And if you are Leon Smith, you are saying to Kyle, more
:29:06. > :29:09.of the same, please. His attitude and demeanour on the court is
:29:10. > :29:14.absolutely right. He is looking very comfortable. He has been in many
:29:15. > :29:20.Davis Cup squad but only played in one rather, that match against David
:29:21. > :29:25.Goffin in the final. This is only his second one. He has not won one
:29:26. > :29:32.of these. So he will be absolutely focused to get one of these.
:29:33. > :29:39.But I can tell you that Lucas Russell is serving for the match for
:29:40. > :29:45.a one only -- 1-0 lead against Wilfred Tsonga in the Czech Republic
:29:46. > :29:49.versus France match. Also Victoria Azarenka issued a statement on
:29:50. > :29:53.social media to say that she is expecting her first child at the end
:29:54. > :29:57.of the year and will return to the sport after that. So Victoria
:29:58. > :30:02.Azarenka is pregnant and expect in her first child at the end of the
:30:03. > :30:06.year. We wish her well. COMMENTATOR:
:30:07. > :30:09.. What a surprise, how delightful. Very much missed from the game. But
:30:10. > :30:16.a more important thing in tennis, for sure. Second set. First set to
:30:17. > :30:47.Kyle Edmund, quarterfinal of the Davis Cup.
:30:48. > :31:10.The voice of Andy Murray in the background. Encouraging Edmund.
:31:11. > :31:16.And an important passage of play at the beginning of the second set. Not
:31:17. > :31:21.one-way traffic in the first set, but Kyle Edmund, as Jamie Baker was
:31:22. > :31:23.saying, certainly dominating. You feel like he has got the weapons to
:31:24. > :31:29.win this match. Tipsarevic trying to find his way
:31:30. > :32:02.in. If you are Kyle Edmund, you would
:32:03. > :32:06.like to see Tipsarevic going for a winner from this position on the
:32:07. > :32:10.court. If you can keep making him do that, good luck. He might make one
:32:11. > :32:12.occasionally, but the percentages are not in his favour. Excellent
:32:13. > :32:45.point from Edmund. That was a chance. Tipsarevic is
:32:46. > :32:51.trying to link the ball into play. He is trying to buy himself time. --
:32:52. > :32:57.loop the ball into play. Every rally, it is trying to keep Edmund
:32:58. > :33:01.back. But the difference is the sound of the shot went Kyle Edmund
:33:02. > :33:04.hits the ball. It goes through the court. At the moment, Tipsarevic,
:33:05. > :34:25.not much pace. Height over the net, not quite
:34:26. > :34:31.enough top-spin. Nothing feels worse than getting duffed up in front of
:34:32. > :34:43.home fans. And in his home city. Break point down.
:34:44. > :34:54.CHEERING. Not this time. Massive break. Close
:34:55. > :34:59.fit from Captain Leon Smith with Andy Murray supporting in the
:35:00. > :35:07.background. But self back into that rally, didn't he, Edmund? -- got
:35:08. > :35:13.himself. Some excellent defence. This is a perfect start. It really
:35:14. > :35:18.is. And obviously, Davis Cup, we have seen how much it can change.
:35:19. > :35:26.But the first set and bad break, it looks like the matches almost in
:35:27. > :35:30.Kyle Edmund's hands. -- the first set and that break. It doesn't look
:35:31. > :35:34.as though Tipsarevic can hurt him. Where he can hurt him is with his
:35:35. > :35:40.experience. If the match gets closer, that may come through. But
:35:41. > :35:44.in terms of the tennis side, I don't see how Tipsarevic can hurt him. He
:35:45. > :35:48.has not got enough pace on his ground strokes, he can't hurt in
:35:49. > :35:50.with the serve. And Kyle Edmund is the one moving his opponent around.
:35:51. > :36:14.Superb start. Well, that's a magnificent shot. It
:36:15. > :36:18.is only the second one we have seen, that backhand down the line which is
:36:19. > :36:24.his favourite shot. In that rally, he was more aggressive from the
:36:25. > :36:27.start. And again, that is a tough shot, not easy to keep making those.
:36:28. > :36:50.A long way behind the baseline. In these conditions, they are heavy
:36:51. > :36:54.out there. The atmosphere is heavy, the court is heavy. But Kyle Edmund
:36:55. > :37:14.can hit through it. He has that kind of pace.
:37:15. > :38:12.CHEERING. Well, a well worked point. SERBIA
:38:13. > :38:21.FANS CHANT.. Starting to get a little more aggressive, with these
:38:22. > :38:23.ground strokes, Tipsarevic. A couple of rallies in this game where he has
:38:24. > :38:58.taken charge. You can see there, it is raining,
:38:59. > :39:05.you have the unwell is up. If this was grass, they wouldn't be playing.
:39:06. > :39:26.Not heavy enough to stop it. -- the umbrella is up.
:39:27. > :39:35.SERBIA FANS CHANT. We haven't seen many of those type
:39:36. > :39:41.of points, where Kyle Edmund has picked the wrong shot to attack on.
:39:42. > :39:43.From where he was, percentages were a bit low. Generally speaking, he
:39:44. > :40:05.has played these points very well. We have seen him run out of energy a
:40:06. > :40:09.couple of times, and these emotionally charged matches, which
:40:10. > :40:14.is what representing your country in the Davis Cup is about, they do take
:40:15. > :40:18.it out of you. Last five minutes or so, as Edmund tries to back up this
:40:19. > :40:20.break of serve, a couple of errors that he would not have made in the
:40:21. > :40:34.first set. Let, second service. Rushing in
:40:35. > :40:52.little bit, perhaps, Kyle Edmund? CHEERING.
:40:53. > :42:03.GB FANS CHANT. Oh, in these conditions, with the
:42:04. > :42:09.rain falling in Belgrade, that is a piece of physical strength is just
:42:10. > :42:34.when he needed it. His tennis balls become like cannonballs.
:42:35. > :42:47.CHEERING. Admirable resistance as Tipsarevic
:42:48. > :42:52.mounted a challenge to him, there. And now Kyle Edmund from Beverley in
:42:53. > :42:56.Yorkshire, British number one for this Davis Cup tie, a chance for
:42:57. > :43:10.2-0. And Andy Murray first on his feet to
:43:11. > :43:18.applaud that hold. That is a mini battle won. Definitely getting
:43:19. > :43:26.extremely wet on the court servers now and one wonders how long they
:43:27. > :43:31.can continue this first match. One or two people voting with their feet
:43:32. > :43:40.and heading out of this very impressive arena in Belgrade. And
:43:41. > :43:44.surely this decision will be in part informed by what is expected here,
:43:45. > :43:57.which is perhaps a thunderstorm and more rain. Tipsarevic is saying, I
:43:58. > :44:01.am happy to carry on. Floodlights on, but menacing clouds overhead. So
:44:02. > :44:05.much of this weather seems to have been following the tennis tour all
:44:06. > :44:09.the way from Monte Carlo in the springtime in the clay of the Monte
:44:10. > :44:16.Carlo country club, through the Italian open in Rome, certainly
:44:17. > :44:23.Queen's Club affected, Wimbledon as well. But play will continue. One
:44:24. > :44:38.set and 2-0, Kyle Edmund. CHEERING.
:44:39. > :44:44.I think generally, when you are down a set and a break, you want to get
:44:45. > :44:48.off. But I think Tipsarevic started -- felt he was starting to get the
:44:49. > :44:56.momentum. Even though he lost that, he had break points.
:44:57. > :45:06.That is huge. There is no doubt he knew what he was going to do there,
:45:07. > :45:11.took off early, way outside the tramlines, total confidence in that
:45:12. > :45:15.shot. And John Lloyd, is the message it sends. You don't want to be
:45:16. > :45:20.hitting a weak second serve to that, next time. Perhaps you draw a double
:45:21. > :45:57.fault or a weaker second serve as a result.
:45:58. > :46:08.next time. Perhaps you draw a double fault or a weaker second serve as a
:46:09. > :46:08.next time. Perhaps you draw a double not we get any tennis on day one
:46:09. > :48:34.remains to be seen, You could understand why Tipsarevic
:48:35. > :48:38.didn't really want to go off. He is starting to find his range now and
:48:39. > :48:43.that is important when you have had such a long time away. It is two
:48:44. > :48:48.things, it is very draining to keep going on and off and also quite
:48:49. > :48:53.rightly at the start of the first 30, 35 minutes he looked a bit
:48:54. > :48:57.shocked by the pace and the power that Edmund was bringing to the
:48:58. > :49:01.court but he will get used to that, that is a factor of him having
:49:02. > :49:05.missed so much tennis. He doesn't want to have to start again because
:49:06. > :49:11.he was quite slow out of that box after the rain delay. Kyle Edmund is
:49:12. > :49:22.looking assured, good news the Lyon Smith because he is the future. It
:49:23. > :49:29.-- for. This is his time to be the number one player and the story of
:49:30. > :49:33.the match so far and the concept of Tipsarevic being overpowered, it has
:49:34. > :49:37.all been down to the forehand, the big first serve and the forehand and
:49:38. > :49:41.he can hit the forehand from anywhere so Tipsarevic will have to
:49:42. > :49:45.think about what he does strategically because if he goes to
:49:46. > :49:51.the backhand Kyle Edmund can stand in the corner and play the forehand
:49:52. > :49:55.all day. This is him taking the opening set, playing better and
:49:56. > :50:00.better. You thought, will he be nervous, but he isn't showing any
:50:01. > :50:21.sign of nerves. Not at all. Tipsarevic Bidwell quite well to
:50:22. > :50:31.hold at 5-2. -- did quite well. He had broken the Tipsarevic server and
:50:32. > :50:34.then got two break points himself. It was that the point where there
:50:35. > :50:43.was definitely a temptation to go into the open court, and then again
:50:44. > :50:51.the break point, finding the big ace. He definitely used up some good
:50:52. > :50:57.strength to get that one. It shows what weapons he has. John Lloyd, he
:50:58. > :51:04.is looking so assured out there. It is so impressive because when you
:51:05. > :51:10.have and the lorry in -- Andy Murray in the team, you think, we have two
:51:11. > :51:18.wins, you think if we don't win it is not a big deal. But this match is
:51:19. > :51:21.so huge. They have obviously discussed the way to go after
:51:22. > :51:28.Tipsarevic, I don't think Tipsarevic was expecting this, they have done
:51:29. > :51:33.their home work, yet he has managed to hit through the court so well.
:51:34. > :51:38.Tipsarevic has to find a way to get back into the game, the backhand
:51:39. > :51:43.down the line, he has to get him off that perch where he is, native. He
:51:44. > :51:51.has missed a couple down the line because Kyle is making him try to go
:51:52. > :51:56.for winners. At the moment it is tough for Tipsarevic to come back
:51:57. > :52:02.into this match. Kyle at the moment, although we have seen it before, so
:52:03. > :52:07.we can't get ahead of ourselves, but he is dominating and Tipsarevic will
:52:08. > :52:11.be worried. You have been Davis Cup captain, what is your role now? Do
:52:12. > :52:23.you talk to your player, leave them alone? Both players, there will be
:52:24. > :52:29.different, says. Kyle Edmund, the coach will be calm, he will be
:52:30. > :52:34.saying, you are looking confident, just keep doing it. Tipsarevic's
:52:35. > :52:38.captain will have to be saying, listen, you have to start getting
:52:39. > :52:42.better length, you have to hurt the forehand, go down the line a bit
:52:43. > :52:47.more, be more aggressive. I thought he was more aggressive in the second
:52:48. > :52:51.set and I thought it looked like he was getting his form back but the
:52:52. > :52:55.rain came and he didn't manage to break Kyle Edmund. To me he was
:52:56. > :52:59.looking a bit better but at the moment no weapons. What we were
:53:00. > :53:08.talking about Andy Murray with Evander Lendl, they will be talking
:53:09. > :53:18.about all of the positive things. -- Ivan. I am sure he will want to
:53:19. > :53:21.speak to him but not too much. The coaching team have been fantastic,
:53:22. > :53:26.they do their homework on opponents and it really does look like,
:53:27. > :53:31.because it is something to focus on, there are so many opportunities to
:53:32. > :53:37.be distracted high pressure in Davis Cup but they so good at just
:53:38. > :53:42.focusing on the match, what do I have to do, how do I broke down --
:53:43. > :53:45.break down the opponent? They are really good so I think they will be
:53:46. > :53:50.focusing too much on that because you don't want to burn too much
:53:51. > :53:55.energy thinking about it, just keep it up. Another person who has to sit
:53:56. > :54:00.and wait probably for quite a long time is Britain's James Ward, he
:54:01. > :54:07.will be on against Dusan Lajovic, and he is a player who has achieved
:54:08. > :54:11.some vital wins the great Britain in some big tyres.
:54:12. > :54:20.Any issues switching from grass to clay? Obviously I was on it until
:54:21. > :54:24.Tuesday, Wednesday myself, so maybe a few days extra, but I think it
:54:25. > :54:27.will be the same for everybody. How do you think about your form
:54:28. > :54:33.generally? We have discussed this before but it has been a tough year
:54:34. > :54:38.for you, struggle to get wins on the full tour. It has been difficult, a
:54:39. > :54:43.few things off court as well as some injuries, which hasn't made it easy
:54:44. > :54:48.to play the schedule I would have liked to have played, so from the
:54:49. > :54:52.outside looking in it has maybe been frustrating for people but even more
:54:53. > :54:56.so for myself, but hopefully for the rest of the year I can now crack on
:54:57. > :55:02.and try to get back to the level I was playing at last year. You said
:55:03. > :55:07.no hesitation in accepting the offer to come and play. Are you trying --
:55:08. > :55:13.that was one personal sacrifice you have made this week. Yes, I missed
:55:14. > :55:16.two tournaments by coming here but I have always played for my country
:55:17. > :55:21.when asked and the competition means a lot to me, you saw that last year,
:55:22. > :55:26.for the last five years I have played, I was there from the start
:55:27. > :55:32.so every time I have been asked to play I have done so. When the
:55:33. > :55:36.ranking starts dropping so fast it is hard, you have to go do some
:55:37. > :55:42.strange parts of the world to play in challengers. It is difficult
:55:43. > :55:46.James Ward because last year at Wimbledon he made the third round
:55:47. > :55:51.and build a fantastic relationship with his coach, Darren Handley, who
:55:52. > :56:03.tragically passed away at the end of last year. -- Darren Tandy. Darren
:56:04. > :56:08.was like mental skills coach as well so that really helped James Ward.
:56:09. > :56:11.This year having that happen has been extremely difficult and with a
:56:12. > :56:15.few injuries he has not been able to play. On the Davis Cup scene he has
:56:16. > :56:24.been fantastic over the last few years, always playing above himself.
:56:25. > :56:29.The win against Isner from two sets down, somebody of his ranking you
:56:30. > :56:35.would never imagine it. Talking about raising your level of play, he
:56:36. > :56:41.took it to a whole new level. He did, that is what you want from a
:56:42. > :56:44.Davis Cup player, some players who have higher rankings play good and
:56:45. > :56:49.some who have lower way above the rankings. Hopefully this will be the
:56:50. > :56:54.tie that will kick start him back to where he wants to be. He was in the
:56:55. > :57:04.top 100 and looking good and it has been unlucky for all of the things
:57:05. > :57:07.he has dealt with. He is good enough to get back again so it is one of
:57:08. > :57:12.those things where he has to be a bit patient and this Davis Cup will
:57:13. > :57:16.be a welcome break for him because if he can win a match or two who
:57:17. > :57:23.knows what his Wang Qiang could be at the end of the year? -- his
:57:24. > :57:28.ranking. It is a bit chicken and egg with James Ward because as his
:57:29. > :57:31.ranking drops he has to play in the small tournaments. He plays above
:57:32. > :57:39.himself in the big tournaments but he has to when the matches in the
:57:40. > :57:47.day-to-day matches to get into those tournaments. -- he has to win. Even
:57:48. > :57:53.Andre Agassi had to go back. No ball kids, changing the scoreboards
:57:54. > :57:57.himself. I think he dropped to 140 in the ranking, it was admirable,
:57:58. > :58:01.you are used to playing in front of thousands in the Davis Cup and you
:58:02. > :58:06.are playing in front of about three people and it is tough, it is dog
:58:07. > :58:14.eat dog in the challenges but he has come through before, he can do it
:58:15. > :58:22.again. -- in the Challengers. If you go out 1-0 up, it is the different
:58:23. > :58:30.ball game. It is raining still, I feel sorry for the poor students.
:58:31. > :58:38.They are used to rein in Scotland but they wouldn't have been
:58:39. > :58:43.expecting this in Belgrade. -- rain. It looks like the students have
:58:44. > :58:48.given up, they have headed for cover. We were told the thunderstorm
:58:49. > :58:52.would come through and it looks like that is the case so again we are
:58:53. > :58:57.going to leave you on BBC Two, we will take a break, we are going on
:58:58. > :59:02.and off a bit like the covers in Belgrade but hopefully we will have
:59:03. > :59:07.more tennis view. Kyle Edmund, Britain's number one in this
:59:08. > :59:11.Dip into a summer of amazing live music,
:59:12. > :59:20.Tickets are still available for the BBC Proms.