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Video: Five Facts For Davis Cup Final


A Davis Cup season stewing with surprises will reach a boiling point in Belgium in November.

Contesting its first Davis Cup final in 111 years, Belgium will host Great Britain on indoor red clay at the Flanders Expo in Ghent, November 27-29th.

Video: Federer's Davis Cup Farewell?

Great Britain won the last of its nine Davis Cup finals in 1936 when legends Fred Perry and Bunny Austin raised the silver Cup.

Here are five facts to know for the 2015 Davis Cup final.

1. Worthy One—Belgian No. 1 David Goffin rides a seven-match Davis Cup winning streak into the final. The world No. 15 is 11-2 in Davis Cup singles matches, losing only one home match and one match on clay in his Davis Cup career.

2. Clay Resume—British No. 1 Andy Murray own a 25-2 Davis Cup singles record with both losses coming on dirt (to Fabio Fognini in the 2014 Quarterfinals in Naples and to Stan Wawrinka in the 2005 World Group Playoff). Murray has played his most dynamic tennis on clay this season, posting a 15-1 record, beating Rafael Nadal in the Madrid final a week after winning Munich on dirt and reaching his third Roland Garros semifinal. Belgian No. 2 Steve Darcis is 10-1 in Davis Cup matches on clay.

3. Home-Court Advantage?—It's widely believed a raucous home crowd is a huge advantage in finals, but it hasn't been an overwhelming factor in recent years. Six of the last 10 Davis Cup finals have been won by the home team though visitors have won the last two finals. Switzerland defeated France in the 2014 final in Lille and the Czech Republic edged Serbia in the 2013 final in Belgrade.

4. Final Conflict—Andy Murray faces two major challenges: Transitioning from playing on hard court in the ATP World Tour Finals in London to the red clay of Ghent with less than a week's time and bearing the burden of likely having to win three points for Great Britain to prevail. When Murray suggested he might skip the World Tour Finals to give himself more time to train on clay for the Davis Cup final, the ATP issued a public warning.

5. Final Day Drama—Five of the last 10 Davis Cup finals have come down to a decisive fifth rubber, including two of the last three finals. Already the oldest man to win a live fifth rubber in the final, 34-year-old Radek Stepanek became the first man in the 101-year history of the Davis Cup final to clinch decisive matches in successive years when he beat Dusan Lajovic in the fifth match of the 2013 final in Belgrade, sealing the Czech Republic's 3-2 triumph over Serbia.

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