Andy Murray back up to No 4 in latest world rankings after Davis Cup triumph
The Scot won both his contests against the United States
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Your support makes all the difference.The Davis Cup is not all about sacrifices in the national cause. As a result of the ranking points Andy Murray earned with his two wins in Britain's victory over the United States at the weekend, the Scot climbed one place to No 4 in the world rankings on Monday. Being in the top four means he cannot face the players ranked above him - currently Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - before the semi-finals of any tournament.
"It helps immediately," Murray said before setting off for California and this week's Indian Wells Masters. "It's very tight around [the No 4 position] right now, with [Kei] Nishikori and Rafa. I don't have a lot of points to defend over the next couple of months, so hopefully I can go on a good run."
The draw for Indian Wells will be made on Tuesday. Murray will have a first-round bye, meaning he will not start until Saturday or Sunday, but he will still have little time to prepare for conditions that will be very different to the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, which was the Davis Cup venue. Players who skipped national duty last week, like Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, will have had a much better chance to acclimatise.
"It's going from playing on an indoor court with heavy tennis balls to playing in the desert within a couple of days with very fast balls in very quick conditions in terms of how the ball moves through the air there," Murray said. "It's a long way, a lot of travel and there's very little time to adjust and recover."
Murray, who is already viewing the Miami Masters in a fortnight's time as a more realistic target, will link up in California with his coach, Amelie Mauresmo, for the first time since the Australian Open. "It will be good to have her back as part of the team," Murray said.
Murray had a 15-minute meeting in Glasgow with Michael Downey, the Lawn Tennis Association's chief executive, who outlined his plans to increase participation in the sport. Murray said it was "the LTA's job to capitalise on the interest that's around just now". Given the passion shown by the sell-out crowds in Glasgow, it would be good to see the LTA put more resources into developing coaches and players in Scotland, where the lack of indoor facilities also needs to be addressed.
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