Although Andy Murray had previously questioned the wisdom of Tim Henman possibly making a return to the Davis Cup, the teenager last night welcomed the veteran's decision to make a comeback in the team competition in the tie against Holland in April.

Last autumn, Murray said that he "didn't really see picking Tim as a step forward", as that would prevent young players from gaining some experience in the Davis Cup. But the British No 1 has realised that Henman's class and experience will only increase the chances of Great Britain defeating the Dutch in Birmingham to give themselves a chance to win a play-off in September and qualify for next season's elite World Group. His record in singles is 26 wins from 34 matches.

Murray, who yesterday moved to a career-high No 15 in the world rankings, said: "I think everyone was maybe sort of expecting it, especially when you have someone saying 'never say never' and it kind of drags on like that. It's great because we've got a good shot now at maybe qualifying for the World Group. With me and Tim and Greg Rusedski, and with my brother, Jamie, and James Auckland in the top 100 in doubles now, it's gone from being a team that didn't look that strong and with Tim and Greg retiring, to being one that can possibly get into the World Group."

But Murray still believed that John Lloyd, Britain's captain, should ensure that Britain's tennis youth were in the team, as it was only by playing matches that they could discover for themselves what the Davis Cup was about.

"I think you definitely can learn from it," he added. "The best way for the young guys to get used to it is to be there and playing matches. I definitely realised that it's one thing sitting on the sidelines and watching and being around the players and it's good for you to see how hard they work and everything, but when you are the one on court and it's you who has got to win the match for the team and the pressure is on you; then it's completely different. So, I think it's great for the young guys to learn from Tim but the best way to gain experience is obviously from playing matches."

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