Davis Cup 2015 final: Great Britain v Belgium to take place amid heightened security
Great Britain’s Davis Cup team are set to take on hosts Belgium in this week’s final amid an unprecedented level of security as the country hunts terrorists it believes are planning an imminent attack.
The International Tennis Federation has announced strict safety measures for the three-day tie, which starts on Friday at the Flanders Expo indoor venue in Ghent, 35 miles from Brussels.
Spectators have been warned they will not be allowed to take bags or food and drink into the 13,000 capacity arena, which is to be patrolled by sniffer dogs and explosives experts.
British No1 Andy Murray and his team-mates flew to Flanders Airport via private jet on Monday, a day later than planned, after uncertainty surrounding the situation Belgium caused them to postpone the journey.
Murray, brother Jamie, doubles specialist Dom Inglot, James Ward and youngster Kyle Edmund then spent the afternoon practising on the venue’s indoor clay courts.
The ITF said it was “closely monitoring the situation in Belgium and particularly in Ghent” but that “as of [Monday] there are no changes to the published start times”.
Brussels has been in a state of maximum security, with metro services shut and soldiers on patrolling streets, since Saturday.
Thursday’s Davis Cup final draw has been switched from a downtown music venue to the Flanders Expo.
Britain are bidding to win the competition for the first time since 1936, while Belgium have reached their first final in 111 years.