Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans carry Great Britain's Davis Cup hopes in Andy Murray's absence

Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans are the men saddled with the responsibility of ensuring there is a Davis Cup for the absent Andy Murray to return to later this season.

They are no strangers to Murray dominating proceedings but Edmund already has experience of being Britain’s talisman.

At the quarter-final stage last season, a Murray-less GB took on Serbia and Edmund’s win over Dusan Lajovic ensured an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Against Canada in Ottawa later today, Edmund is relishing the opportunity to take centre stage once more.

“What happened against Serbia, my form at the end of the year and my start in Australia gives me great confidence,” said Edmund. “Obviously, it’s great to have a player like Andy but there’s a lot of strength in depth in British tennis now.

“We’ve got Jamie Murray at No1 in doubles and Dan’s been playing some great tennis.”

The message from Edmund is that Britain are more than capable of doing a job without their star player.

Evans begins the first-round match against 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov, an inexperienced but supreme talent who won last year’s junior Wimbledon title, in the opening rubber while Edmund takes on Vasek Pospisil later today.

On paper, Britain has the edge with neither Canadian in the world top 100, and Edmund said he was not fazed by either the pressure of expectation or ensuring the team make it to the next round for Murray.

“There’s no pressure from Andy for us to deliver,” said Edmund. “He knows that everyone will give their best.”

Edmund goes into the tie in good form. He came close to knocking out Stan Wawrinka at last month’s Brisbane International following on from a strong hard-court season in 2016, which included a run to the last 16 of the Davis Cup.

“I feel in a good place,” added Edmund. “It’s about gaining experience and moving forward.”