At least Austria did not rub Great Britain’s noses in it quite like the Ecuadoreans eight years ago when they performed the tennis equivalent of invading the pitch and landed on top of each other in a mass of ecstatic disbelief. The Austrian lads did a funny little dance and singsong on Wimbledon’s No 1 court that felt a bit like an invasion into private grief but that was it. The discordant notes were all British.

In 2000, when Ecuador won the Saturday doubles and the fourth singles to clinch victory in a Davis Cup World Group play-off, the intensity of the inquest was such that Richard Lewis, then head of men’s international tennis at the LTA, fell on his sword. He is now executive chairman of the Rugby Football League.

There is unlikely to be anyone courageous enough to follow his lead. Everyone at the LTA these days is on a contract too bountiful to give up, even after this debacle of a tie for which the wrong team were picked, the wrong location selected, the wrong prices charged (£17 for a child, what are we thinking?) and the wrong attitude prevailed. The wrong result leaves those in charge wondering just what inspiration Andy Murray will have to turn up now that Britain are back down in Euro-African Group one with the likes of Belarus, Belgium, India and Slovakia waiting in tomorrow’s draw. If Murray is not excited by a World Group tie in Buenos Aires, what price Delhi in the zones?

The results yesterday were entirely foreseeable, Murray beating Jürgen Melzer - though some might have expected a straight-sets victory - 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, which meant that Alex Bogdanovic had to win a match at Wimbledon and one that mattered in the Davis Cup for the first time. He managed a decent set, as he had against Melzer on Friday, but succumbed 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to Alexander Peya, ranked two places lower than him at No 164 in the world.

For the second time in three days, Bogdanovic had been deserted long before the end. He should not have been selected in the first place but that is beside the point because once someone dons the colours, those in the squad should stand four square with him. And having said on court at the end of his match that the crowd had to raise the rafters for “Boggo”, Murray did not hang around once his teammate lost the second set. He could see the writing on the wall.

“The way I play shows that I love the Davis Cup, but I make sacrifices to play,” Murray said. “I want every single person to make those sacrifices, I want them to come here physically able to play for all three days even if it is for three five-set matches. I want to know that everyone in the team wants to win as badly as I do and if I don’t feel everyone has that attitude, that will definitely demotivate me.”

No one can argue with that. In the early stages of Bogdanovic’s match, Murray was front and centre, often on his feet before anyone else, shouting through cupped hands in an attempt to buoy the left-hander’s spirits. In the dressing-room before the match, Paul Annacone, the Britain Davis Cup coach - whose career in this line of work has mostly involved keeping Pete Sampras and Tim Henman on an even keel - attempted to get through to the British No 2. These were lost causes. It was ever thus.

Murray said it was up to the captain, John Lloyd, and the coach - not him - to pick the team. It is a mystery why Josh Goodall, the British No 3, was not given an opportunity, the last in a long line of mysterious decisions that have beset the sport over many years. The Times understands that Goodall has just been rewarded with greater financial help from the LTA to fund his career. If that is so, why is he not considered good enough to show what he can do for his country? It smacks of double standards but then we have had plenty of those in this sport down the years.

It is hard to think that he would have been as introverted as Bogdanovic. He is not, has never been and never will be, a fist pumper, a flamboyant performer, someone who lets you know what he is feeling. God forbid Bogdanovich would ever do what Murray did with one smash against Melzer and aim it straight at him. Murray threw himself full length once because he knew it would win him a point; Bogdanovic did it because he hoped it would. And there is the vital difference.

Murray held back neither in his match, nor afterwards. “In both my matches I played well, I showed a lot of emotion and got the crowd involved,” he said. “You have to do that in Davis Cup, especially in the home ties. Jamie and Ross [Murray and Hutchins] didn’t have much chance to do that in the doubles because it was all a bit flat but today I didn’t see [from Bogdanovic] any fist pumps, or racket throwing. He didn’t really show enough that he wanted to win the match.”

Results

Great Britain 2 Austria 3
Great Britain names first

Yesterday

A Murray bt J Melzer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1; A Bogdanovic lost to A Peya 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Saturday

R Hutchins and J Murray lost to J Knowle and Melzer 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.

Friday

Bogdanovic lost to Melzer 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-1; A Murray bt Peya 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.