Ultimately, Great Britain’s 2024 Davis Cup campaign ended with a whimper, not a bang. The loss of four successive singles matches against Argentina and Canada ultimately led to their exiting the tournament at the last 16 stage, even though they had been fortunate enough to be one of the four group stage “hosts”. Inevitably, there was instant speculation about whether Dan Evans should continue playing or whether Leon Smith should continue captaining. Still, the truth is that Great Britain is struggling to fill the Andy Murray-sized hole in their ranks.
Leon Smith’s Captaincy of Two Halves
Leon Smith has been captain of the Great Britain Davis Cup team since 2010, or for 14 years, which is by far the longest time anyone has ever captained the British men’s tennis team. Having initially been appointed at least in part because he had been one of Andy Murray’s childhood coaches, Smith’s captaincy can be divided into two halves: the first, in which he had a fully fit and firing Andy Murray at his disposal, and the second, in which he has had to cope with an increasingly frail and faltering Andy Murray, culminating in Murray’s retirement from tennis this summer.
