Andy Murray's mind may be on preparing for the Davis Cup final in Belgium, but the ATP fully expects Murray's body to be in London for the World Tour Finals in November.
Responding to remarks from the third-ranked Scot, who suggested he might skip the ATP World Tour Finals in order to train for the Davis Cup final, ATP president Chris Kermode applied subtle pressure saying Murray is "required to compete."
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"The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a mandatory event on the ATP World Tour and all players who qualify, unless injured, are required to compete in the event," Kermode said in comments published by AFP. "He has had a fantastic season and earned his place among the world's top eight players to compete at the season finale. We are aware of the comments made after the Davis Cup tie in Glasgow, however our expectations are that, if fully fit, Andy would compete in this year's tournament.
"Unless we hear otherwise via an official withdrawal, he is still entered to compete at the O2."
The ATP World Tour Finals are set for November 15-22 in London. The Davis Cup final will be contested November 27-29 in Belgium.
Though the host has not yet selected a surface for the final, it is widely believed Belgium will stage the tie on red clay. Belgium has hosted four of its last six home ties on red clay, including a 5-0 sweep of visiting Canada in the July quarterfinals.
Steve Darcis clinched Belgium's 3-2 semifinal win over Argentina on hard court in Brussels on Sunday.
After Murray sealed Great Britain's semifinal conquest of Australia, he suggested he could skip the World Tour Finals, held on hard court, in order to adjust to red clay in preparation for the final.
"The O2 would obviously be a question mark for me if we were playing on the clay. I would go and train and prepare on the clay to get ready for the final," Murray told BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday. "For me to play—if I was to reach the final—five in a row and then take a couple of days off, it would mean only playing for two days on the clay before the Davis Cup final starts and that wouldn't be enough for me.
"I need more time on the clay to let my back get used to it."