Dan Evans doubles down on Leon Smith Davis Cup broadside – ‘only fair the captain gets some criticism’

Dan Evans has doubled down on his criticism of Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, saying it is “only fair” Smith got some flak for the decisions that contributed to GB’s loss to the Netherlands in the competition back in September.

And he has not changed his mind in the time since.

“We are good at discussing things when we win but nobody wants to talk about it when we lose,” Evans said. “The normal LTA [Lawn Tennis Association] response is ‘we will take it on board and review it’.

“I just didn’t think it played out as it should, to the best of our possibilities, and some of that is on the captain. I think it’s only fair the captain gets some criticism.

“I don’t think I did anything too wrong, Leon is big enough and old enough to take it. He gets paid well enough, don’t worry about that. He messaged me but I made it clear that I wanted to have a conversation, and that hasn’t happened yet.

“Tennis is business and you can disagree like you do in any area of normal life, I don’t think it’s that big a deal. I’m not against Leon and don’t want to fall out with him, he has done very well as Davis Cup captain, I just made it clear I thought he had got it wrong.

“Everyone tried as hard as they could and I don’t dislike Joe Salisbury because of it or anything. My biggest issue was that they [doubles specialists Salisbury and Neal Skupski] had just come off a trans-Atlantic flight, and had two days’ practice when others had been there from the Monday.”

Evans may continue to look back with anger, but he is also focussing on the upcoming 2023 season, and he shared his belief that Novak Djokovic – who he bumped into recently in southern Spain – will be the favourite for the game’s first major of the year, the Australian Open.

He said: “Novak was around and I saw him in the gym a bit and had a couple of chats with him. When you look at him in the gym, he looks like a gymnast – the way he stretches it’s like watching a 14 year-old. So if his body doesn’t break down he has to be in a great position.

“He had just got confirmation that he can go to Australia and he is pretty pumped about it. When you look at how he finished the year, and his ranking with how little he played compared to others, he is definitely the favourite for Australia and [Rafael] Nadal is probably second favourite.

“I reckon Novak still believes he is the best by miles and his game looks as sure as ever.

“Novak and Rafa are in their mid-thirties but sport is changing. You look at [Lionel] Messi in recent weeks and someone like [France’s 36-year-old striker] Olivier Giroud.

“Then you look at someone like Andy [Murray] and what he is doing with a metal hip. 35 really isn’t such a big thing these days.”

– – –