Evans still furious at Smith’s snub
DAN eVANS and British Davis Cup captain Leon Smith have still not spoken to each other after the player’s complaints over team selection.
Despite both being in Paris together this week they have not cleared the air and yesterday evans reiterated that he might not make himself available for next year’s World Group first round in February.
The British No 2 remains annoyed he was not picked for the deciding doubles matches in September’s qualifying group in Glasgow, which saw the host
nation fail to qualify for this month’s World Finals. evans — who went out of the Paris Masters second round 6-3, 6-4 against Stefanos Tsitsipas — described as ‘shocking’ one of the pivotal defeats suffered by
Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury, who were preferred to him. The 32-year-old Midlander, rarely afraid to speak his mind, also believes that doubles star Salisbury was not fully fit, having hotfooted it to Scotland straight after winning the US Open in New York.
‘he hadn’t played much tennis on those courts (in Glasgow) and just throwing him in with Andy wasn’t the answer in my opinion,’ said evans, who was left courtside as GB were edged out by holland and the USA. ‘Let’s not forget Rajeev Ram (playing for the US) played the opposite side to what he normally plays in that match (he is Salisbury’s regular doubles partner). That wasn’t a good loss or a bad loss, that was a shocking loss and that’s why I can’t sit there and do it all over again. ‘It’s not personal against Leon. I think he’s done a great job over 13 years but the facts are we haven’t qualified for the finals and that’s disappointing.
‘This is as good as I can put it — the singles guys are better than the doubles guys if your singles game style matches up to play doubles.
‘I love playing for my country, but I’m not going to put myself in the situation where I’m sat on the side and I’m like, “Guys it’s very obvious to a lot of other people who should have been playing”. ‘Maybe I’m putting too much into it and maybe I should just take a step back from it, because I was devastated when we lost.’ On his lack of communication with Smith, who had been in the same venue temporarily coaching Jack Draper, evans reflected: ‘I’ve had worst scraps in my life.
‘he’s not had a massive amount of time here and I’ve not had a massive amount.’
Draper went down 6-3, 7-5 to American Frances Tiafoe and will now play in next week’s NextGen Finals in Milan for the world’s best players aged under 21. having started the year ranked 265 in the world, he will finish around 41, a huge leap that suggests exceptional promise. evans will end the year inside the world’s top 30.
Smith declined to comment on evans’s remarks.