p where he left off in Pittsburgh. I think just tryi

Mark Petchey says Japans world No 6 Kei Nishikori offers Great Britain a different test to anything they faced in their Davis Cup triumph last year.Britain begin the defence of the trophy they won in November when they take on Japan in Birmingham this weekend and hopes are high of a potential repeat triumph.With world No 2 Andy Murray in the team, Leon Smiths squad were always strong favourites last year and Murray dropped just two sets in his eight singles rubbers along the way to glory. Evans gets GB nod Leon Smith names team for Japan tie But world No 6 Nishikori is a more than capable performer and already has a title under his belt this year having won in Memphis in February.Murray has a 5-1 winning record over the Japanese No 1, his only defeat coming at the 2014 World Tour Finals, but Petchey believes another top ten ranked player gives the tie a different look. Obviously last year you always felt Andy had the edge in the singles, it always felt like he was the better player in the one v ones. If he tees it up against Kei his superiority on the court is not going to be quite as overwhelming, Petchey told Sky Sports. Great Britain won the Davis Cup in 2015 That is something that gives a different dynamic heading into this tie to anything they had to deal with last year.Lets not underestimate the Japanese team, there is an awful lot of class with Nishikori and with [Taro] Daniel as well who is certainly not to be underestimated.Petchey concedes Britain go into the World Group first-round tie as likely winners despite the prospect of a tough encounter that could go all the way to Sundays final singles rubber - saying Murrays return to action for the first time since his Australian Open final defeat to Novak Djokovic and home advantage should give them the edge. Andy Murrays (right) lost just two sets in eight singles rubbers last year I think they are favourites given what they achieved last year, confidence is high amongst the team and Andy is playing, Petchey added.Despite having a lay-off since Australia I dont see any real problems with him coming back in and hitting the ground running. He knows how to hit a tennis ball, thats not going to have been forgotten amongst the nappy duty! Magical Murray role Remebering Andy Murrays role in Davis Cup glory Its at home, having won it last year the atmosphere will be phenomenal when they walk out on Friday. From that perspective there is not going to be any lack of desire from that team to put in a performance.Having ended a 79-year wait for Davis Cup glory, Petchey believes Great Britain could play with greater freedom having finally won the trophy - but admits things could go the other way with a degree of expectancy now on the team.Expectations are high and you can argue things either way, the Sky Sports expert said.The pressure to defend, wanting to go deep, have another deep run this year and the feeling it gave British tennis after the team did so well. But on the other hand they have won it, so the pressure is off to a large degree as theyve shown that as a team they are able to go on and win it. You could argue that it is now a slightly easier tie for Britain.The feeling is good within British tennis and the Davis Cup camp is strong. GBs route to Davis Cup glory We plot the path to a Great Britain repeat Whenever you have got some like Andy committed to a cause in the manner he was last year and clearly is going to be in the opening tie, you have got a great shot of repeating - a lot will depend on Andys season in terms of what he plays with the Olympics being this year.That is one of those unknown variables this year in terms of how far this team can go. If he is able to come out for every tie than the odds of defending the cup go up significantly.Also See:Evans gets GB nodGBs route to 2016 glory....Magical MurrayZeroes to heroesNike Vapormax Plus White . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Nike Vapor Max Plus . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. http://www.vapormaxplus.com/ . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Nike Vapormax Plus White . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Nike Vapor Max Plus Triple Black . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Runs could be scarce when Toronto Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ and Oakland As lefty Rich Hill square off in the finale of a three-game series Sunday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum.Happ is 12-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 18 starts this season in his second stint with the Blue Jays. Hill is 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 16 starts in his first season with the As.Hill was initially scheduled to pitch Friday night against Toronto, but his start was pushed back two days because of two blisters on the middle finger of his left hand. Hill said a blister developed late in his final start before the All-Star break against Houston and that another one appeared after he had a long throwing session on flat ground three days later on July 10.Its fine now, Hill said Saturday. Theres no issues. It feels good. .... I think it was more of a precautionary thing than anything, to make sure it was 100 percent healed. And we had the time to do that.Hill signed a one-year, $6 million contract as a free agent with the As during the offseason. Now hes drawing considerable interest from teams throughout baseball as the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline approaches.Staying focused on the task at hand has not been a problem, Hill said.I think just focusing in on your daily routine and sticking with what you do on a day-in and day-out basis, so its not about anything else thats going on outside of what you can control, Hill said. Ive said that all year long.Happ has been on a roll since being traded by Seattle to Pittsburgh on July 31 last season. He went 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 11 starts for the Pirates then staayed hot after re-signing with the Blue Jays, with whom he played for from 2012-2014.dddddddddddd.That was the plan, that was the goal definitely, Happ said of picking up where he left off in Pittsburgh. I think just trying to be consistent. I always say thats the hardest thing in this game, but I do feel Im in a better place mentally for sure. And with my mechanics I feel like Im able to make adjustments. Just trying to stay there.Happ has gone 6-0 in his past six starts with an ERA of 2.95, 41 strikeouts and eight walks. He earned his 12th win, matching his career single-season high, on July 8, blanking Detroit over 5 2/3 innings. Happ struck out nine and walked one.Happ went 12-4 with Philadelphia in 2009 when he made 35 appearances, including 23 starts.According to Happ, one of the reasons hes having such a good season is that hes not as tough on himself as he used to be.Thats always been an issue of mine, Happ said. Thats probably part of the reason why I got here, but its also sometimes a negative for me because I can be pretty tough and I can carry it over for a long time. I feel like Im getting better about turning the page. I have a little better perspective about the game and everything. I think thats helped, some of the experiences Ive had.Happ will face an As team that won the first two games of the series, hitting three home runs each time, and can complete a sweep with a victory Sunday. Happ has allowed 13 home runs over 112 1/3 innings this season. ' ' '