Murray not letting Paris attacks deflect focus from Davis Cup final

Andy Murray

BRUSSELS • World No. 2 tennis star Andy Murray said he is determined to prepare normally for Great Britain's Davis Cup final at the end of the month in Belgium, where several arrests have been made since the terror attacks in Paris on Friday.

The Belgium-Spain international friendly in Brussels yesterday was cancelled on the recommendation of the national crisis centre after the incidents.

The centre, under the interior ministry, recommended the calling off of the match after the terrorist threat level was on Monday raised to three, or severe, for the whole country, representing a possible and credible threat.

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque gave a lukewarm reaction to the news.

"Some of us wanted to play this game... but well, given there are security reasons," he told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. "I think the players are calm."

Nearly 50,000 people were expected to attend the clash between world No. 1 Belgium and the reigning European champions.

Another 14,000 are set to fill the Flanders Expo in Ghent for the Davis Cup final, starting on Nov 28. That venue is about 55km from the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, where French and Belgian security forces have focused most of their inquiries.

"Everybody right now is concerned about things," Murray said at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, where security has been tightened since Sunday.

"But I do think the best thing that we can do is to live our normal lives, not change too much, because then the terrorists are the ones that are winning.

"I don't want to live my life in fear each time I step on a tennis court. So that's what I'll do."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 18, 2015, with the headline Murray not letting Paris attacks deflect focus from Davis Cup final. Subscribe