• Davis Cup

Murray will thrive on pressure of emotional homecoming

Andy Murray could play three matches for Great Britain against the United States © Getty Images

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Andre Agassi said this week that Andy Murray plays at his best when he's under pressure - and he will no doubt thrive on what will be an emotional Scotland homecoming when Great Britain take on the United States in the Davis Cup.

At the back end of last year, a late flourish saw Murray qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London - he needed a real run of form and played some of his best tennis despite struggling for months before that.

The best players need that motivation and they need to set themselves these goals. Why can't the Davis Cup be a goal for Murray like it was for Roger Federer last year?

Just look at what Federer did with Switzerland and how much he craved that Davis Cup success - the one trophy that had eluded him in his career.

The best players in the world are starting to take the Davis Cup very seriously © Getty Images

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Even though he's still pushing to add to his grand slam tally, Murray is one of a number of the world's best players who are starting to take the Davis Cup very seriously now.

Andy and his brother Jamie will of course be helped by the fact that the match against the United States is in their home country of Scotland.

The atmosphere will be electric inside the Emirates Arena, and with both him and Jamie there, there is going to be a huge connection with the crowd.

A key factor for Andy wanting to play is that Leon Smith has done a fantastic job of keeping the team close. Andy often trains with Kyle Edmund and gets on very well with James Ward - if he didn't have the strong relationship he has with the players and the team then I'm sure he wouldn't be playing this year.

The fact the match is against the United States should help even more - playing them is always huge.

I remember the last time we took them on in England. It was 1999 and Jim Courier, the US captain, played in that thrilling match against Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.

It's should be a tight, close affair, one of those classic ties which could all come down to the doubles. It could easily end 3-2 to either side, but so much will depend on Murray.

If he wins his singles matches and is feeling good, then he could end up playing alongside Jamie against the best doubles team of all time, the Bryan brothers. But if it's a five-set contest for Murray against John Isner or Donald Young and he can't move the next day, then Smith might find himself having to rearrange and weaken his side.

Andy and Jamie Murray could partner up in the doubles © Getty Images

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The Bryan brothers would obviously be favourites for the doubles, but Smith has also picked Dominic Inglot with that particular match in mind. Inglot has been playing very well recently and even beat the Bryan brothers in January alongside his Romanian partner Florin Mergea.

That said, if everyone is fully fit then the Murray brothers are surely Great Britain's strongest pair. Jamie has been on great form and has enjoyed an excellent start to the year with his partner John Peers.

Although he hasn't played alongside his brother since 2011, they have competed together so many times before and they have won titles together, too. A Murray-Murray partnership would be the natural way to go, although Andy has said it is "unlikely" he will pull triple duty.

Isner has the weapons to pose a huge threat to British hopes in the singles, however. He's a big, dangerous player with a booming serve and, on his day, is capable of beating Andy.

As with all big servers, if it's one of those matches where it starts going Isner's way and he begins getting those first serves in, then he can pull off an upset, no doubt.

But, if Smith can get Murray playing all three days in front of a baying Scottish crowd, then there's a real chance Great Britain can secure a memorable victory.

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1, who now serves as a tennis commentator and as a coach for the LTA. He is ESPN.co.uk's resident expert, providing an exclusive view on the world of tennis.

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