Lloyd upbeat despite difficult draw

14 April 2012

Great Britain captain John Lloyd insists his "world-class" team can compete with any side in the Davis Cup and refuses to be daunted by the World Group play-off meeting with top seeds Croatia.

Lloyd admitted the draw had not been kind to his team but believes the fact the match is at home can turn the tide in their favour and help them secure the win which would see them start 2008 back among tennis' elite.

Defeat in the fixture, which takes place from September 21-23 at a venue to be decided, would see them begin next year in Group I.

Lloyd said: "It could have been easier but it's a home draw and I'm taking the view that if you get a home draw to get back into the World Group it's a good draw.

"There are teams who are perhaps a bit weaker but on the other hand it could have been away at Chile or away to Croatia even. I'm happy with it and the players we have now are world class.

"Looking from the perspective of Croatia I don't think they would be too happy with their draw today - Great Britain away.

"It is the hardest draw - looking at world rankings and stuff - but I'd back our guys against anyone in the world.

"If we get into the World Group we'll have to play teams like Croatia anyway and, yes, maybe it's a year early, but we're going to be ready."

Lloyd also feels the possible absence of Croatia's star man Ivan Ljubicic could put the likes of Andy Murray and Tim Henman firmly in the driving seat.

Lloyd said: "After his last Davis Cup match Ljubicic announced his retirement - we don't know what to make of that yet, but if he keeps to that it gives a slightly different perspective.

"They still have good players but if a guy who is in the top 10 in the world is missing it is a different matter.

"Even so, I'd back our guys against anyone."

Lloyd, who took over the GB job from Jeremy Bates last year, admitted he will be starting work straight away on giving his side the best chance of victory in September.

There have been suggestions that the Millennium Dome in London could be a possible venue, but Lloyd insisted no firm decisions had yet been taken.

"Planning starts right away, looking at surfaces and stuff and we want to get the thoughts of my top two guys (Murray and Henman). We'll look at the surfaces that are going to be best for our players and then start making enquiries.

"I'll speak to them, speak to the coaches and we'll start scouting their players soon. We'll also be watching some of our own younger guys following Greg Rusedski's retirement."

Lloyd, 52, admitted he expected the former British number one to be available for the clash but is now looking to the next generation to make their mark.

"I was really surprised when he stopped," said Lloyd.

"I thought it would come down to whether we beat Holland. I was shocked when he said it but I respect his decision and it's a chance for the younger guys to step up."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in