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Nice Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith defended his group choice after the hosts did not qualify for the knockout stage of the competitors.
There had been huge settlement earlier than this week’s group stage in Glasgow that the 10-time champions had their strongest ever group by way of depth.
Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Andy Murray are top-50 ranked in singles and Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski are the highest and third-ranked doubles gamers.
Murray performed doubles forward of Skupski.
“Is it that controversial to place your two highest ranked singles gamers on the market? No,” Smith informed BBC Sport.
“Is it controversial to place the primary doubles participant on the earth on the market? No.
“Is it controversial to place Andy Murray on the market on the court docket right here in Glasgow? I do not assume so. We believed that was the suitable factor to do, and that is on me.”
Each of this week’s Group D ties in opposition to the USA and the Netherlands have been determined by the doubles rubber, with each ending in three-set defeats.
Murray mentioned he and Salisbury had proven that they had the potential to play top-level doubles collectively once they teamed up finally yr’s Tokyo Olympics however understood why Smith may face questions on choice, particularly about not enjoying doubles specialist Skupski.
Skupski and his Dutch associate Wesley Koolhof – who was on the opposite facet of the web on Friday in opposition to Salisbury and Murray – have been runners-up in males’s doubles on the US Open final week.
“I am considering the identical factor proper now … ought to I’ve performed or ought to Neal have performed,” mentioned Murray, who contributed 11 of the 12 factors wanted throughout singles and doubles for Nice Britain to win the Davis Cup in 2015.
“And it is easy to assume all these issues,” he mentioned in a information convention. “[But] the truth is the groups we misplaced to will not be settled doubles pairs, as nicely.”
Salisbury’s regular associate is Rajeev Ram, who he confronted in Wednesday’s defeat by the USA simply days after profitable the US Open title with him.
“If me and Joe performed extra collectively I am certain we might be an excellent stronger group,” Murray mentioned. “However I do not assume we performed two dangerous matches. We truly performed fairly nicely.”
This week’s Group D outcomes put the Netherlands and United States into November’s knockout stage and depart Nice Britain enjoying a tie in opposition to Kazakhstan on Sunday the place nothing is at stake as a result of each have been eradicated.
“It is tough to get motivated,” Murray mentioned. “The way in which that now we have misplaced these two matches as nicely makes that even harder.
“It is a slight flaw with this format in that you’ve got primarily, on the Sunday, on the ultimate day, there isn’t any tennis. Effectively, there’s tennis, however it’s form of irrelevant.”
He added that he was notably “unhappy” that Nice Britain couldn’t have delivered success on dwelling soil and likewise questioned what number of extra possibilities he must assist them.
“If you get to my age and this stage of your profession, I do not know what number of alternatives I am going to get to nonetheless be a part of this group,” the 35-year-old mentioned.
“We have got plenty of depth now within the singles and the doubles. Due to that, it makes it harder.”
