MURRAY TOLD TO REST UP BY SMITH
BRITISH Davis Cup captain Leon Smith has admitted that he would sympathise with Andy Murray if he chose not to play next week’s World Group first round in Canada. With Murray back home after his shock defeat by Mischa Zverev in the fourth round of the Australian Open, Smith is bracing himself for his star player to declare that he needs to spend several weeks resting, rather than make the trip to Ottawa. Smith may find himself relying on Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund to play singles, and will name a squad in the next 24 hours, which can be changed as late as next week. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’d love him to play,’ said Smith, who had not yet spoken to the world No 1. ‘But for his own good it’s better to rest and train and get ready for this next period, because there won’t be much time to do that the rest of the year. ‘Once you get into Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, then you hit the clay season and the grass season. So this is probably the best time.’ Smith cannot strong-arm Murray into playing, although in the past the player has used a week with team-mates to help himself bounce
back from disappointment. ‘They are great weeks but the matches are still very draining,’ Smith added. ‘It doesn’t matter, you can have a very fun week and enjoy being around your teammates but best-of-five-set tennis is still tough. ‘It’s a lot of time on court in a pressure situation. He has to weigh up what’s right for him. And you’re still looking at what he did the second half of last year. ‘To be honest, the best thing for his body is probably not to play, in my opinion.’ With two other top-50 players now to call on for singles — plus Jamie Murray in the doubles — it is possible that GB could still win, especially if Milos Raonic does not play for Canada — a decision which has still not been made. Smith is in a difficult position. He needs to be understanding of the star man who has given him so much while at the same time try to put out his best team. Evans, who is said to be on the verge of signing a kit deal with Diadora after having to buy his own shirts in Melbourne, can take inspiration from the performance of Zverev, Smith believes. Both players are slightly unorthodox in the modern game, strong at the net with expert slices. ‘If you look at how Zverev played and then you look at Evans it’s just a reminder of what you can do if you play a bit differently,’ Smith added. ‘Look what he did to Marin Cilic, who will not have played someone like Dan for a while. ‘It will be interesting to see where he can get to. Talking to people in the locker room, they were very impressed with him. It’s important he keeps getting physically stronger.’
MIKE DICKSON