LONDON (AP)—Leon Smith, Andy Murray’s former coach, has been appointed as captain of Britain’s Davis Cup team.
Smith succeeds John Lloyd, who resigned last month after the team lost to Lithuania and dropped to the next-to-last level of the competition.
Smith’s first match in charge will be Britain’s relegation playoff against Turkey in July.
Smith, who has been a professional coach for 16 years, began working with Murray when the Scottish player was 11. He helped Murray win the U.S. Open junior title in 2004.
“I need to speak to him about it as a friend more than anything, because I want him to do well and be successful,” Murray said Monday. “It’s a big responsibility for him. It’s going to be tough.”
A big task for Smith will be convincing fourth-ranked Murray to play in the Davis Cup. Murray missed the Lithuania match, which was Britain’s fifth successive loss.
Murray, who is playing at the Monte Carlo Masters this week, has not made a decision yet whether to play against Turkey.
“I’m not sure. I’ll think I’ll have to make a decision closer to the time,” Murray said. “If I want to play, I’m playing for the team, it’s not that I’m playing because Leon’s the captain.
“It’s a tie that I feel we should be able to win, even if I don’t play.”
Murray said he had no role in Smith’s appointment.