Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Andy Murray appears to have undergone a slight change of heart regarding whether or not he is prepared to play the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals just days before Britain contest the Davis Cup final on Belgian clay and is prepared to proceed down a conciliatory route towards London.

However, the Scot, today back in the world no.2 position on the year round rankings, is insistent winning Britain the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 remains his overriding priority for 2015 and he is focusing on being absolutely ready for action against Belgium in Ghent from November 27 thru 29.

If he feels any adverse reaction to his back, he will not hesitate in withdrawing from the ATP’s marquee end of season event that begins on November 15.

Murray revealed his preparatory plans that, following the BNP Paribas Masters at Paris’s Bercy, involve four or five days practicing on clay before returning to London just a day or two before the start of the World Tour Finals which as usual will be played on an indoor hard court at the London O2 Arena.

If Murray does not play in London, the ATP rule-book decrees he could be hit heavily in the pocket with a potential loss of US$ 1.455m if he manages to retain his current lofty ranking. In addition there is a legal possibility he could be banned from all ATP World Tour tournaments next year.

However he said: “I didn’t know that was the case, to be honest. The reason it’s a difficult one for me is I missed four months because I had to have back surgery a few years ago.  Because of the way our tour works, I lost a bunch of ranking points and I dropped out of the top ten, and it’s tough.

“I have to look out for what’s best for myself and the people in charge of the ATP look out for what’s best for the tour. I know how my body is and how it’s reacted. If the final of the Davis Cup was on an indoor hard court there would be no question of me not playing at the 02.”

Murray insisted the circumstances are very different compared to last year when Roger Federer progressed to the London final before withdrawing because of a back injury, lost his first singles match in the Davis Cup final against France but still ended up winning the trophy.

“People were giving examples of Roger,” he said. “I don’t have the luxury of being able to lose my first match in the Davis Cup final so it’s quite a different situation.”

Currently Murray is unsure where he will practice on clay with the possibilities being a covered court at London’s Queen’s Club or the indoor practice facilities at Roland Garros in Paris.

“If my back responds well, then I’ll be fine,” he said. “If it doesn’t, then I’ll have to look at things because my back has caused me problems on the clay before. Hopefully everything will be fine.

“Everyone is different and it’s just unfortunate with the way the surfaces have worked out. I know Rafael Nadal’s knees trouble him going from clay to playing on hard and even grass.”

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.