Great Britain’s hopes of playing their Davis Cup semi-final at the Manchester Arena have been scuppered by Florence and the Machine.
The Lawn Tennis Association has failed to persuade the indie band to change the date of their show at the Arena so the venue could host the match with Australia.
The tie, which runs from 18-20 September, is now likely to be held at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena which should suit Scotland’s Andy Murray and his brother, Jamie.
Britain beat the US there to make the quarter-finals in March in front of a lively crowd, with Andy Murray defeating John Isner in the decisive match before seeing off France at Queen’s in July.
According to the BBC, the LTA’s chief executive, Michael Downey, had “several conversations” with Florence Welch’s agent but was told her concert at the 20,000-capacity Arena on the Friday of the semi-final must go ahead as planned.
The LTA has to nominate a venue for the tie before the deadline next Wednesday.
