"Is it controversial to put Andy Murray out there?" - Great Britain's captain defends doubles decision

ATP
Saturday, 17 September 2022 at 23:25
Updated at Saturday, 17 September 2022 at 23:06
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Andy Murray joined Joe Salisbury in two Davis Cup doubles matches in the group stages in Glasgow and the British duo lost in three sets on both occasions.

Following their second loss and definitive elimination from this year's Davis Cup, many challenged the decision of the Great Britain's captain Leon Smith to play Andy Murray instead of doubles world number 3, Neil Skupski. Following the loss, he defended his decision, stating:

"Is it that controversial to put your two highest ranked singles players out there? No," Smith told BBC Sport. "Is it controversial to put the number one doubles player in the world out there? No. Is it controversial to put Andy Murray out there on the court here in Glasgow? I don't think so. We believed that was the right thing to do, and that's on me."

"If me and Joe played more together I'm sure we'd be an even stronger team," Murray said. "But I don't think we played two bad matches. We actually played pretty well."

"When you get to my age and this stage of your career, I don't know how many opportunities I'll get to still be part of this team. We've got a lot of depth now in the singles and the doubles. Because of that, it makes it tougher." 

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