For the first time in a long while, Leon Smith has been able to pick his strongest Great Britain team at the Davis Cup.
Cameron Norrie, Jacob Fearnley, Lloyd Glasspool, Julian Cash, and Jack Draper have been drafted in for a tough away tie to Norway.
Injury issues and the players’ hectic schedules have led to middling results for Great Britain since their landmark Davis Cup victory in 2015.
With their current team they have to be considered one of the favourites for the event, but Leon Smith’s ambitions lie elsewhere for his squad.
Leon Smith wants his players to relish Davis Cup challenge
The Davis Cup’s recent changes have led to many becoming disenfranchised with the tournament, but Leon Smith still has the passion for the International battle.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the event, Smith played down Great Britain’s chances of lifting the trophy.
“Firstly we’ve got to work hard and get the job done this weekend. If you do that you can find yourself in the second round. But like anything, it’s how the rest of the season goes.
“We need more than one or two players because who knows what happens in the season. There’s injuries, or fatigue, the next ties would be the week after the US Open.
“Who knows how the draw pans out? Australia playing Ecuador but I don’t want to think about this now. What I do know is we’ve got extremely good players, there’s more in the wings as well, who are showing good progress.”
Instead, Smith wants players extra keen to represent their country after a long time of trying to convince players to play.
“It’s important that we try and get more numbers onto the main tour. We love Davis Cup and we have great memories with it, but my ambition is that people want to come back, want to play, and when they do, they never regret it,” he said.
“Playing for their country, playing for their teammates, it’s something very different from what they get week in, week out.”
Great Britain’s Davis Cup schedule against Norway
Great Britain have been bolstered by Casper Ruud’s withdrawal from the Norwegian squad, but they still have a tough test playing away from home.
Draper faces a winnable tie in his first match for six months as he plays Viktor Durasovic in the opening rubber, a player who is currently ranked World No. 329.
Cameron Norrie, meanwhile, will play Nicolai Budkov Kjær, who is yet to fully stamp his authority on the ATP Tour after becoming world number one in the juniors.
Glasspool and Cash will play Lukas Hellum Lilleengen and Durasovic in the doubles as they look to pick up their very first win for Great Britain at the Davis Cup.
The tie is scheduled to take place between 5 and 6 February at the Nadderud Arena, in Norway’s capital, Oslo.
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