HOW hard could it be to return one of Jamie Murray’s serves? Not very I concluded as I waited confidently.

Poised on the baseline at Holcombe Brook Tennis Club ahead of Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Tunisia at Bolton Arena, the doubles expert was about to unleash one of his ferocious 100mph serves.

But I wasn’t fazed, after all GB had slipped into Europe/Africa Zone Group II and you don’t have to be an expert at tennis to realise that isn’t a particularly high standard.

In fact, a couple of decent returns and I half expected to get the nod from coach Leon Smith and be lining up alongside Murray and Co this weekend.

I’d already decided to go on the attack and, as I spun my racket in my hands and bounced around energetically at the back of the court like I’d seen Roger Federer do on television, my confidence grew.

Jamie, the older brother of world number five Andy, tossed the ball in the air and . . . whoooosh. It thudded into the fence behind me before I’d even moved.

I put that one down to the fading light. Jamie threw the ball up again and . . .

whoooosh. Exactly the same thing happened. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

By my third attempt I at least managed a swing of the racket, though still no contact.

By my fourth I hit it, albeit with the frame and straight down between my feet but, success of sorts by my fifth, I made sufficient contact to send the ball flying over the fence and on to the road. Murray served his next two into the net – my point surely – and, after a couple more air shots, I crashed a forehand into the net.

Jamie was impressed.

Well, he didn’t laugh quite as much. By this time I decided to change tactics and just tried to get the ball over the net and into the court. Alas to no avail.

We shook hands at the net and I trudged off disconsolately. All I can say is, those Tunisians had better watch out.