TRYING to understand the Davis Cup is one of life's challenges.

It's a bit like standing on the Underground platform at Earl's Court for the first time and trying to work out the District line.

Potentially, the Davis Cup could be a great competition but its format is all over the place and even informed sports fans are generally baffled by the concept.

From a British perspective, not much has changed. We'll never have to worry about the semis or the final.

We're not awful but we're not that good. There's no doubt that over the next few years, we will continue to bounce between the 16-team world group and the Euro Africa Zone.

When Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski were around, we were a two-man team who should have done better.

Now, in the new era with Andy Murray, we are effectively a one-man team - albeit with Jamie Murray in the doubles - who can only overachieve rather than underachieve.

Today, we lost to Austria 3-2. All square at 2-2 on the final rubber, Alex Bogdanovic - who has tennis talent but no mental toughness - crumbled to Alex Peya. The Austrian was ranked two places lower, at 164 in the world.

Bogdanovic was playing on his best surface in front of 7,000 fans but after a bright start, he still lost in four sets.

Some may criticise John Lloyd for not playing the Murray brothers in the doubles but you cannot hide from the fact that there is still no depth to men's tennis. It's embarrassing.

Considering Murray was playing his first tournament since reaching the final of the U.S Open, Wimbledon should have been rammed today.

Yet the LTA did not use any marketing to publicise the tournament. Unbelievably, they also charged adults £40 and under 16s £20 to come and watch.

Tickets for Wimbledon in the summer will always be snapped up by uncles and aunts but this was a golden chance for the sport's governing body to ship in some youngsters to become hooked by what can be a dramatic, nerve-shredding sports event.

But they blew it.

At tonight's press conference, Murray - who won both his singles matches - was extremely frustrated with everything about British tennis.

Little wonder.

Understandaby, the world No4 was not getting to excited by the prospect of travelling to somewhere like Macedonia, Lativa or Slovakia next year.