'I go a long way back with Andy' - Leon Smith warns Murray he must earn place on Davis Cup team
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Updated 02/07/2022 at 14:30 GMT
Andy Murray tumbled out of Wimbledon at the hands of John Isner in the second round and the former world No. 1 has been warned by Leon Smith that he must earn his place on Great Britain's Davis Cup side. Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
Andy Murray
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Leon Smith has said he will not let sentiment cloud his judgement when he picks his Davis Cup team, saying Andy Murray and all other players in contention must earn their place.
Murray is battling to return to the top of the sport following hip surgery, but crashed out of Wimbledon in the second round to John Isner.
Great Britain play host to USA, Kazakhstan and Netherlands in Glasgow in September, and Murray would be a huge draw card for the Scottish crowd.
Murray was a key figure as Britain took Davis Cup glory in 2015, but he continues to battle injury issues and is not guaranteed a spot in the side.
Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans are ahead of Murray in the world rankings, while the likes of Liam Broady and Jack Draper have impressed at Wimbledon this week.
Smith has a relationship with Murray, having coached him earlier in his career, but he will select on merit.
“(It's not just the) problem and difficult decision around who gets to play on each match-day - in the two singles and the doubles - even just picking the squad takes a lot of thought,” Smith said.
“I've got relationships in varying ways with all of the players. I go a long way back with Andy, in particular, but my job is to look at it objectively and to do whatever I can to win.
“You pick on merit. You pick on a multitude of factors - form, match-ups against the opposition, surface, fitness, health... everything goes into it.
“All I know is that it's a good problem to have that we've got such a high calibre of player across both the singles and doubles.
“Andy played a pivotal role in giving everyone hope that something was possible. He didn't just do it on the court - winning major titles - he also gave back a lot.
“That's something with the culture that you want the others to do. I'm really pleased to see that culture is there.”
Irrespective of who he selects, Smith is convinced he will have a strong squad in Glasgow.
He said: “What Andy sparked is really important and we now have this nucleus. Is it the strongest squad? If you look at the ranking breakdown of all the singles and doubles, yeah, it definitely will be.
“Regardless of who goes out there, I know the atmosphere is going to be great, whether it's Andy or Cam Norrie, who has a Scottish background as well.
“Dan Evans has been brilliant through Davis Cup years. We've got the No 1 player in the world in doubles, Joe Salisbury. We've got Neal Skupski, Jamie (Murray) - a multiple Grand Slammer.
“Whatever happens, and whoever goes out there - not just for our team, but others in the group - the fans are going to see some unbelievable tennis.”
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Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
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