World number two Andy Murray confirmed on Tuesday he will play for defending champions Britain in its Davis Cup quarterfinal in Serbia next week despite Novak Djokovic opting out for the host. Murray leads a squad that also includes Kyle Edmund, his older brother Jamie Murray, Dan Evans and Dominic Inglot, for the three-day tie on clay in Belgrade from July 15-17.
World number one Djokovic chose to skip the tie after losing in the third round at Wimbledon, where Murray, the 2013 champion at the All England Club, is still in contention as he faces French 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the semifinals on Wednesday.
"In making himself available for the tie, Andy has once again shown incredible commitment to his country and his proven Davis Cup record is second to none," said Leon Smith, the captain of the British team which lifted the title for the first time in 79 years by beating Belgium in Ghent last year.
Serbia, beaten in last year's quarterfinals by Argentina, is chasing just its second Davis Cup title after 2010. Captain Bogdan Obradovic named Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krainovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic in his side for the Tasmajdan Stadium tie.
For Argentina, Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open winner, returns after a four-year absence against Italy, which has tasted title success only in 1976.
Wimbledon quarterfinalists Lucas Pouille and Tsonga were named for France against three-time winners the Czech Republic. The pair will be joined by Gilles Simon, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in Yannick Noah's team for the hard court tie in the eastern town of Trinec.
However, world number nine Tomas Berdych, who helped his nation twice win the Davis Cup in 2012 and 2013, will miss the clash. The United States returns to Portland where it won the Cup in 2007 to face Croatia. John Isner, Jack Sock and the Bryan brothers have been named in the US team.
Croatia, winner in 2005, is at full strength after ousting last year's finalist Belgium in the first round, on the way to its first quarterfinals since 2012. Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, will lead Croatia on his preferred hard court surface, in a team that includes Borna Coric, Ivan Dodig and Marin Draganja.
Teams for quarterfinals (July 15-17)
Great Britain
Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans
Serbia
Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic
Argentina
Juan Martin Del Potro, Federico Delbonis, Guido Pella and Juan Monaco
Italy
Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi, Paolo Lorenzi and Marco Cecchinato
Croatia
Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Ivan Dodig and Marin Draganja
USA
John Isner, Jack Sock, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan
France
Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Lucas Pouille, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Czech Republic
Jiri Vesely, Lukas Rosol, Adam Pavlasek and Radek Stepanek
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