TENNIS NEWS:ANDY MURRAY has hit back at John Lloyd following the former Davis Cup captain's criticism of him for missing the clash in Lithuania earlier this month. The British number one chose to sit out the tie following Britain's relegation to Europe/Africa Zone Group II and followed on the internet as Dan Evans lost the deciding rubber to hand Britain the most embarrassing result in their history.

The Lawn Tennis Association appeared to accept it would be better for Murray to concentrate on his singles career until his team-mates proved they could offer him meaningful support at a higher level.

But Lloyd, who stepped down from the captaincy last week following five successive defeats, disagreed, saying: “Call me old-fashioned, but when is it a convenience, and not a privilege, to play for your country?”

Murray, who is preparing for the defence of his Masters 1000 title in Miami this week, feels Lloyd is singling him out when many other top players do not routinely play Davis Cup. The Scot also argued he should be given credit for his record in the competition, particularly against Poland last year, when he played three successive days with a wrist injury but could not save Britain from defeat.

He said: “I can understand to a certain extent that everyone would like me to play in the Davis Cup because obviously we’ve got a better chance of winning. But the last tie I played in Davis Cup, I was injured. I played through the match when I was injured and it set me back probably double the amount of time that it would have done if I hadn’t played.

“No one talks about that side when you’re playing through matches when you’re hurt and it sets you back and then you drop ranking points. I don’t see John coming out and having a go at (Roger) Federer or Rafa (Nadal) or (Andy) Roddick or whoever, the guys that don’t play Davis Cup all of the time either.”

Murray also stressed he will continue to put his career first when deciding whether to play Davis Cup in the future, with the next tie against Turkey coming only a week after Wimbledon.

“I need to make a decision what’s best, not only just for the team but also my own career as well,” he added.