Tim Henman pulls out of attending Davis Cup final in Belgium

Former British number one Tim Henman has cancelled his plans to attend the Davis Cup final with his family amid security concerns in Belgium.

The tennis star was due to travel with his three girls, but said they will now be watching at home.

The final between Great Britain and Belgium is taking place in Ghent, around 35 miles from Brussels, where a series of anti-terror operations have been taking place.

The British team were due to fly to the capital city on Sunday, but delayed their departure because of the ongoing security situation.

However, Captain Leon Smith and his players will now travel on Monday, with the final expected to go ahead as planned from Friday.

The Foreign Office has advised visitors to Belgium not to go to places with large numbers of people. The 13,000-seat Flanders Expo is sold out for all three days of the final, with more than 1,000 British fans due to attend.

However, Henman will not now be among them.

The 41-year-old was quoted by several national newspapers as saying: "I was going to go, but I am not going any more.

"I was going to take the three girls, I was going to go with my family. With the train and the going over there, I just thought, 'Is it really worth the hassle for them?'

"So we are going to be watching at home."

The British team of Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, Kyle Edmund and Dominic Inglot stayed together in London for a day of practice on clay on Sunday, with all members understood to be happy to travel to Belgium and compete in Britain's first Davis Cup final since 1978.

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 British Davis Cup team's plans were only expected to change should the current advice change or the threat level for Ghent be raised.