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The Davis Cup final goes ahead on Friday with additional safety precautions in place

Andy Murray in action against Richard Gasquet in Paris
Image: Andy Murray hopes to lead Great Britain to a first Davis Cup triumph in 79 years

The Davis Cup final will go ahead as planned on Friday but additional safety precautions will be taken due to the high terror alert in Belgium.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel announced the level of alert in the Brussels area would stay at category four after it was raised on Saturday because of a "serious and imminent" threat of attack.

However, the final between Great Britain and Belgium will take place in Ghent, 35 miles away from the capital city, and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed on Monday there were no plans to alter the event.

An ITF statement read: "The ITF and Royal Belgian Tennis Federation (RBTF), in consultation with the relevant officials and our risk assessment and security advisers, are closely monitoring the situation in Belgium and specifically in Ghent.

"As of today there are no changes to the previously published start times for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas final between Belgium and Great Britain.

Davis Cup factfile
Davis Cup factfile

Andy Schooler profiles the players and looks at the relevant statistics ahead of the Davis Cup Final

"We are taking every necessary step to ensure the safety of the teams, the spectators, the media and all working staff."

A number of additional security measures have been put in place for this weekend's tie including a ban on bags and backpacks, as well as any food and drink, inside the Flanders Expo arena.

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The city's Metro system was shut all weekend and remained closed on Monday, along with schools and universities.

Great Britain's Davis Cup team celebrate winning their semi-final over Australia
Image: Great Britain's Davis Cup team celebrate winning their semi-final over Australia

The alert level in Ghent is category three, the same as London, and sporting events there have been held this weekend including the Ghent Six, a large annual cycling competition.

The Great Britain team landed safely at Flanders Airport at around lunchtime on Monday and practised at the 13,000-seat Flanders Expo in Ghent later in the afternoon.

The team's journey to Belgium was delayed by 24 hours because of the threat of a terrorist attack similar to the ones that occurred in Paris on November 13, which killed 130 people.

The British team, led by world No 2 Andy Murray, are bidding to win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936.

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