BOLTON Arena’s tennis manager, Stuart Kay, believes the whole town will benefit from hosting the Davis Cup tie between Great Britain and Tunisia.

The three-day event, which begins on Friday, will see up to 6,000 spectators flood through the doors to see Jamie Murray and Co tackle the North Africans.

The Arena have been planning for the tie for two months and contractors were brought in last week to lay the court and install seating.

But Kay believes the legacy of the match will extend much wider than the courts.

“I am looking forward to it because it is great for the Arena and the town itself,” he said. “Hosting a Davis Cup tie is a special moment in the Arena’s history. It was always envisaged that we would host Davis Cup tennis, so it’s fitting that we start our 10th anniversary celebrations with this match.

“We have sold 95 per cent of tickets (capacity is 2,000 per day) and some of our youngsters will be acting as ball boys and girls. A handful will also get to show off their talent when we have a 15-minute demonstration before each day’s play.

“We work with around 300 players and have six full-time coaches in addition to myself and our head coach. This is the latest stage in our development and in the next 12 months we are hoping to extend our indoor court capacity.”

A number of tickets are still available, priced from £12 for Saturday’s action and £17 to watch the singles matches on Friday and Sunday. Kids go free with a full paying adult.

Tickets are available from the reception desk at Bolton Arena or from the Ticket Factory by calling 0844 338 8838. Tickets are also available to purchase via the website www.LTA.org.uk/daviscup.