Great Britain's Davis Cup Team have been rewarded for their stunning victory over Russia at the weekend with an away tie against Croatia in the World Group play-offs later this year.

The Croats, who were Davis Cup champions in 2005, will be favourites for the tie, but it is most certainly a winnable match for the British team. This is particularly the case when you consider that Andy Murray, who was absent for the match against the Russians, has committed to being available for the tie against Croatia, which will be held on September 13-15.

Great Britain's comeback from 2-0 down against Russia has given them the opportunity to break into the World Group for the first time since 2008. Coincidentally, the last time they experienced victory in a World Group play-off was against Croatia, in 2007. A good omen, perhaps?

While being paired with Croatia is a favourable draw for the Brits – they could have faced Roger Federer's Switzerland or Rafa Nadal's Spain – the Croats are, nevertheless, formidable opponents. Their top player is world No.11, Marin Cilic, and he is backed-up by Croatian No.2 Ivan Dodig. Dodig is currently ranked 54 in the world, but has been as high as 32. Croatia will also be able to call upon 6ft 10in giant Ivo Karlovic, who has slipped down the rankings from a career high of 14 in 2008 to his current position of 136, but he still poses a considerable threat on his day.

Of the draw, GB captain Leon Smith said "Croatia is a tough draw, especially as it is an away tie. But, as we saw last weekend, anything is possible in Davis Cup."

That the tie is away from home may be significant; GB's last seven Davis Cup matches have been at home, winning an impressive six of them, and the advantage of being the home team is that this provides the opportunity to choose the surface on which the tie will be played. Croatia are likely to prefer hard courts, but the fact that this is Murray's favoured surface may tempt them to consider selecting clay.

GB's progress to their current position has been quite remarkable. A mere two years ago, they were languishing in the Euro/Africa Zone Group 2, which is the tennis equivalent of the Conference League. This rise has been all the more impressive when you consider that the team has had to do without Murray for the majority of the ties.

The return of the Scot for the Croatia match will be huge. A win for him over Cilic may not be a formality – Cilic beat the Scot in the 2009 US Open – but a 9-1 head-to-head record in Murray's favour certainly points to him holding the advantage.

Smith will expect Murray to also win his second singles match and the captain will target a win in the doubles as GB's best chance of clinching victory. Scotland's Colin Fleming and Wimbledon doubles champion Jonny Marray are a force to be reckoned with in doubles. Fleming's world ranking of 28 and Marray's placing of 16 illustrates just how accomplished they both are on a doubles court.

However, the real problem facing British tennis is the gaping chasm in standard between Murray and the rest. James Ward and Dan Evans may have performed heroics in their singles victories against Russia last weekend, but their world rankings of 217 and 324 respectively suggest that this may have been the exception rather than the norm in terms of their performances.

Nevertheless, might these confidence-boosting victories be the catalyst required to propel them to better, and more consistent performances in the future? Smith, along with the whole nation, will fervently hope so, because if GB is to re-enter the World Group their success may be vital.