Davis Cup 2016: Leon Smith plots more success with Great Britain

Magic moment: Andy Murray celebrates with teammates after winning his match against Belgium's David Goffin to win the Davis Cup final
(DIRK WAEM/AFP/Getty Images)
Eleanor Crooks29 February 2016

Great Britain have a chance to relive their Davis Cup success anew this week and captain Leon Smith is already plotting the next chapter of the remarkable story.

Andy Murray's heroics were the headline act as Britain won the trophy for the first time in 79 years with victory over Belgium in November but the engineer was Smith.

Meticulous in planning and preparation and with a gift for getting the best out of his players, Murray's former coach has been the key figure in Britain's journey from laughing stock to the top of world tennis.

Just over three months after Murray sparked scenes of joyous celebration at Ghent's Flanders Expo, Britain will begin the defence of their title in Birmingham against Japan.

"I think it's great we've got another home tie," Smith told Press Association Sport.

"We've obviously had a lot of them but it's great to come out as defending champions. At the same time, we've all been around long enough to know that it starts again and we're not here to celebrate, we're here to win.

"We can enjoy going out there with confidence because we are defending champions but we're very much back to business as usual. We can't underestimate what is a very good Japanese team."

Murray spearheads the team once more as he returns to the match court for the first time in a month following the birth of daughter Sophia.

Both Murray and Smith faced questions about their ongoing commitment to the team having achieved the ultimate goal.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Should Britain beat Japan, Murray is unlikely to play the quarter-final in July because of the extra demands of the summer schedule caused by the Olympics.

Smith has previously expressed an interest in coaching on tour, and his stock will surely never be higher than now, but he insisted he was not tempted to leave at the top.

He said: "The challenge is to keep trying to get good performances out of everybody. Make sure they're energised and motivated, which they are.

"What we went through last year was so intense, you could think it would be tough to keep going, but it's absolutely not. The competition is amazing and we'll relish it.

"We had so many years so far away from this environment that, believe me, when we get to Birmingham and we've got the trophy that's still ours, and we've got guys like Andy and Jamie, it's an amazing feeling.

"And we're so close as a unit that every time we get together it's special.

"I love doing this. For me personally, trying to plot how we can overcome someone like (Japan number one Kei) Nishikori is great. Anyone you speak to that has been Davis Cup captain will tell you it's very special and it's nice to be able to continue doing it."

Smith has not yet decided on his singles number two, with Kyle Edmund, who made his debut in the final, and Dan Evans set to fight it out in practice.

Jamie Murray will play his first tie as a men's doubles grand slam champion after winning the Australian Open with Brazilian Bruno Soares.

He will partner either his brother, if Andy wants to play all three days, or Dom Inglot.

Doubles could prove to be the decisive rubber, with the teams evenly matched in other areas.

World number six Nishikori will be the highest-ranked player Murray has played in Davis Cup since Britain returned to the World Group while 82nd-ranked Edmund is five places above Japan number two Taro Daniel.

The challenge for British tennis off the court, meanwhile, is to ensure Davis Cup success provides a tangible boost to the sport.

No sooner had the trophy been won than the headlines were dominated by damning verdicts on tennis' governance from Murray and his team-mates.

"I feel like you waste time because nothing ever gets done," said the world number two.

The Lawn Tennis Association responded by announcing the trophy would be going on a nationwide tour while 10,000 children are being given free lessons and racquets.

Smith is at the heart of the project and is optimistic that, for once, the opportunity will not be wasted.

The Scot said: "We've got local boy Dan Evans going to his club with the trophy next week, which will be great for him.

"We'll take it round the country and show it off, but more importantly because we want kids to see what's possible. Each one of us has a story to tell of how they got into tennis and by taking it around the country to where their journeys started gives us that opportunity.

"From that let's hope a lot of kids get involved in tennis. We've got our legacy project where we're training up 1,000 coaches to deliver workshops to kids, and that's not just a one-off, we'll keep following that up.

"So much noise was made at the time but we're in a good place with it now. Plans are in place, I'm fully engaged with it and the team is. We've not just been listened to, we've been involved."

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