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Britain’s Incredible Davis Cup Rise Marks a Success for Career Coaches
Published: September 16, 2013
Captain Leon Smith has overseen an incredible ascent in an extremely short time. Just how has he achieved this success?
John Lloyd’s last Davis Cup tie in charge of Great Britain, on March 7 2010, saw Dan Evans defeated in a heart-breaking fifth set in the decisive final rubber. It was against Lithuania in the first round of Europe/Africa Zone Group II, only one tier above the lowest possible level of the competition.
His opponent was 20-year-old Laurynas Grigelis, ranked 521 at the time. Evans was the world No. 252.
The defeat prompted Lloyd’s resignation—he became the first captain ever to oversee five successive defeats for Britain—and the LTA made a bold move. Greg Rusedski was hotly tipped to replace Lloyd, but, rather than opting for a "big name," they chose Leon Smith, a man who had never competed at elite level.
At the time Roger Draper, the head of the LTA, told the BBC the players wanted a captain who was "embedded in British tennis." They certainly received that.
Despite being just 34, Smith had been involved in coaching at the national level for eight years. He had coached Andy Murray through some of his formative years, guiding him to an Orange Bowl victory. He was a man the players and the LTA trusted, but, nevertheless, this was an extremely risky appointment from both a PR and a performance perspective.
The next match was one of the most important in Great Britain’s long and illustrious Davis Cup history. Should Smith lose his first tie in charge, a playoff against Turkey, the third-most-successful nation in the competition’s history would be relegated to the bottom tier, competin...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis
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