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Leon Smith named as Great Britain's Davis Cup captain

Leon Smith coached Andy Murray between 1999 and 2004 © Getty Images

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Leon Smith vowed to get Britain back to winning ways after being named as the new Davis Cup captain.

Smith, who replaces John Lloyd, coached world No. 4 Andy Murray between 1999 and 2004. He has been promoted from the post of head of player development by the Lawn Tennis Association.

"This is a huge honour and an irresistible challenge for me," Smith said. "I know the players, and I know that together we can get Britain back to winning ways in the Davis Cup."

Lloyd resigned the captaincy last month after Great Britain slumped to a humiliating defeat against Lithuania. They now face a play-off against Turkey in July, where a loss will mean relegation to the lowest zone of the competition.

Smith has also been appointed head of men's tennis - one of the recommendations made by those carrying out a review of the male game following the loss to Lithuania.

Steven Martens, who oversaw that review, moved to dispel criticisms of the appointment. Detractors have pointed to the fact that Smith has never played Davis Cup tennis or coached players over the age of 16.

"Leon is the perfect fit for this important role, at this stage in the development of British men's tennis," Martens said. "He's a young British coach full of energy and passion, who's already proved he's a quick learner, and has the respect of the players."

Former British No. 1 Chris Wilkinson, who played four Davis Cup ties between 1991 and 1998, believes Smith is the right man for the job.

"It's important to try to get Andy Murray involved in the team," he told ESPN.co.uk. "Smith knows Murray well, they've worked together in the past and from that perspective it's a fair decision.

"He will have trained with a lot of the British players at the National Training Centre and has a head start in the fact that he will already be on a one-to-one basis with a lot of the guys already. In the short term he will need to lift the guys for their crucial clash against Turkey in July, but really they haven't got much to lose - they are so low already. With Smith's appointment they should be looking at long-term improvement rather than a quick-fix."

Wilkinson insisted that Smith's lack of experience of playing Davis Cup tennis would not impact on his ability to fulfil his role.

"I don't think the fact that Smith has never played Davis Cup will be a major issue," he said. "It would be an entirely different kettle of fish if Britain were playing in the World Group , but in the third tier it will not be a problem."

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