Jamie Murray: 'My brother Andy will make me feel calm in Davis Cup cauldron'

The older Murray brother is more renowned for his success as a doubles specialist, but has combined successfully with Andy, most notably in winning key matches against France in the quarter-finals and Australia in the semi-finals to help Great Britain reach their first final of the event since 1978.

Citing the support Andy received from the crowd against Australia in Glasgow in the last four, in an interview conducted before the attacks on Paris and the heightened security tension in Belgium, Jamie told The Guardian: "He was just feeling the love from the crowd and it got to him.

"He doesn’t get the chance to come to Scotland much and he has great support at home. The Davis Cup just means a huge amount to both me and Andy.

“Andy brings a calmness to me because I know what I’m going to get from him. Our games really complement each other when we’re playing well. It doesn’t matter that we don’t play often together outside of Davis Cup because we know each other so well. This year, we’ve played some great matches together, especially against France and Australia."

World number two Murray will be a strong favourite to win both his singles matches on Friday and Sunday, but assuming nothing goes wrong, GB will still need another point to win the trophy for the first time since 1936.

That is likely to come from the doubles on Saturday, adding a huge significance to what the pair produce.

“Of course, for us, the doubles is the key match. Andy carries the weight of responsibility, doesn’t he?," said Jamie.

"He’s the guy who has to win both his matches and then we have to try and win a third rubber and our best chance is probably in the doubles. But we played the United States and if James Ward hadn’t won that first day against John Isner it would’ve been very different. Me and Dom (Inglot) lost that very close match to the Bryan brothers and so James’ win was crucial. But, against France and Australia, Andy and I knew if we didn’t win the doubles that was us done."

Amid the security fears surrounding the event, the final is expected to go ahead despite Brussels being placed on maximum alert over the threat of an imminent attack. The 13,000-capacity crowd inside the Flanders Expo in Ghent will be strongly in favour of the home side, but Jamie is relishing the prospect of performing away from home.

“There is pressure, but that’s what I like," he said. "It’s much more fun playing in front of a packed crowd than 50 people. When I was growing up this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to play on the biggest courts in front of lots of people … the Davis Cup has given me the chance to do that this year."

“We’re expecting a brilliant experience in Belgium. I think it will be hard to match the atmosphere in Glasgow but they’re getting 13,000 people which is 4,000 more than Scotland. I think we’ll have 1,300 travelling supporters – 10% of the allocation. Davis Cup is so intense because the noise levels make every point mean something."

Assuming the final takes place in such concerning circumstances for Belgium, there is no doubting the magnitude of the task the Murray brothers face. Quite simply, Great Britain do not appear to have any breathing room if they are going to lift the huge trophy on Sunday. Andy Murray probably has to win his two matches, and they probably have to win the doubles too. If they fall short on any three of these elements, they are unlikely to beat Belgium. It may have hurt their pride at the time, but it is beneficial that both Murray brothers departed the World Tour finals before the weekend so they could practise on clay at London's Queen's Club. When you consider what is expected of them, this is no time to waste on individual pursuits. The Murray brothers are obviously thoroughly decent and professional sportsmen. They deserve as much support as possible from British tennis fans, win or lose in Belgium.

Eurosport are broadcasting LIVE action from the Davis Cup final with the first singles match due to begin at 11:45am on Friday.