Judy Murray has set Great Britain the target of securing promotion into the World Group of the Fed Cup in 2012.

32770 - Murray targets Fed Cup promotion

Great Britain are currently in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I, but with a team boasting three players in the top 100, Murray believes Britain should be looking to the elite level of international competition.

Murray, who was recently named as Nigel Sears' replacement as British captain, will lead the team for the first time in February, when she takes her team to Israel, where Britain will be among 15 sides bidding for one of two available places in the second tier of the World Group.

With Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong and teenagers Heather Watson and Laura Robson at her disposal, Murray has set her sights on securing promotion at the first attempt, although she admits it will not be easy.

"It is very difficult because there's 15 teams in the group and only two will go through," Murray said as she was unveiled at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. "You have to win three matches to get out of your group, and then you need to win another one in the play-off, and there are some very strong teams in there.

"On rankings at the moment GB are the fifth highest-ranked team. I think the team to avoid would be Poland, who have a top-10 player in Agnieszka Radwanska and a specialist doubles team, but I think anybody else who's out there, if our girls are playing well and we have a favourable draw, then I really think anything's possible."

Murray's role as Fed Cup captain will see her link up with son Andy's former coach Leon Smith who is captain of the British Davis Cup side as well as head of men's and women's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association.

As well as captaining the Fed Cup team, Murray will also work with Britain's leading junior girls and is excited to get stuck into her new role.

"Leon contacted me a few weeks ago to say he was taking over the women's side and asked if I would be interested in a role, in particular with the Fed Cup, which of course for me would be a massive honour to be able to lead out your country," Murray said. "I was getting to the stage where I was ready for a new challenge.

"I had to think about it a bit because it's a question of freeing up enough time to be able to do it well. You would never want to take on something like this and then find you didn't have the time to devote to it. Anything I take on is to put my heart and soul into it and really try to make it work.

"I'm really excited to get started. I love coaching. It doesn't matter whether it's eight-year-old beginners or whether it's working on the court with Jamie or Andy."