Tennis

Edmund blames cramps for Davis Cup defeat

Kyle Edmund rued tiredness and cramp as he allowed a two-set lead slip away in the opening rubber of Great Britain’s Davis Cup final with Belgium.

The 20-year-old made a sensational start to his first appearance in the competition as he moved into a dominant position against David Goffin, but his form dipped dramatically in the last three sets to allow the Belgian to recover.

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Edmund’s thundering forehand and athleticism that had lit up the opening two sets quickly disappeared, and his more experienced opponent took full advantage to secure a 3-6 1-6 6-2 6-1 6-0 win.

“I started very well,” Edmund said. “Obviously not playing a Davis Cup match before, I was nervous, [but] it couldn’t have gone any better.

“I was dominating the first two sets. He couldn’t get near me. He turned that [around], and that’s something I need to learn from.

“In the third set he started to get on top of me. Then things started to fall away. In the fourth set I was struggling physically, and in the fifth set it was just disappointing that my body couldn’t hold up the way I would have liked it to.

“My legs just started to get tired. I could just feel them straining a bit. My legs started cramping a bit. I just lost a bit of confidence in my movement.”

For Goffin, there was a huge sigh of relief having survived an almighty scare as he put the hosts 1-0 ahead in Ghent.

The world number 16 said: “I was a little bit worried because Kyle was playing unbelievable. He just had nothing to lose. He played a wonderful match.

“But, like I said, I knew I had a chance and I had to take it. I know it’s always tough when you are young, when you’re playing your first match in Davis Cup, to play three sets like this. It’s always tough. That’s why I tried to stay calm and waiting for a chance.”

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