Preview
Davis Cup captain Leon Smith on Britain’s tie with Colombia and difficult conditions in Bogota
The Brits have touched down in Bogota and preparations are fully underway for their Davis Cup qualifying tie with Colombia from 3-4 February.
The team – which includes Cam Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper, Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury – are readying themselves for a tough challenge in difficult conditions up in the Colombian mountains as they aim to book their place in the Finals Group Stages.
Captain Leon Smith and his team have been busy working with the players already at the Pueblo Viejo Country Club, and says the Brits are looking forward to whatever comes their way.
“Fortunately, we arrived in Bogota quite early,” said Smith. “We thought it was very important to do that as it’s very different conditions to what the players experienced at the Australian Open. We are thankful that they agreed to get here early as it gives us more time, which we’re going to need it to adapt to the new conditions.
“The conditions are tough for the players who haven’t been bought up at altitude – it takes time to get used to the speed of the ball at 2,500 metres, but it’s a good challenge.
“It’s not just the altitude either, it’s moving on to the clay after two weeks in Melbourne and there’s a change in ball, which is a significant change. Using a pressure-less tennis ball is something that none of our players would do at any other time in the year, so it was important to get that extra practice time.
“The clay isn’t an issue. We have a strong team here who are used to playing through the clay court season for a number of years and they’ve had good results as well.
“The big thing is, you have to accept that it’s not going to be perfect, we have to play tennis, fight hard, compete and adapt as quickly as possible.”
Great Britain has taken its strongest team on paper, with all three singles players ranked inside the world’s top 40 and the ATP doubles world No.1 and No.4. Despite the strong squad, Smith is wary of the challenge they face up against a Colombian side that has experienced good results here in the past.
“I was really pleased that all our highest ranked players decided to come here and represent their country, but we know it’s going to be extremely difficult here,” he said.
“The Colombian team have a lot of experience here and have some great players – but we’re ready for the challenge.
“I think it’s a very even match, I think rankings don’t make as much difference when you’re playing with the ball and at the altitude – it definitely makes things more equal.
“They are strong, they’ve had good results here against the likes of Argentina, Sweden and Turkey – they’ve won those matches and played well.
“The crowd has always been great, which is something the Davis Cup has always had, whether you’re playing at home or away, and our players are looking forward to a good atmosphere and lots of people coming to support.
“Anyone that is coming to Bogota, it’s going to be amazing and we’ll really enjoy having your voices. There may only be a few but for us it means an awful lot. In the years I’ve been in this job the travelling fans have always been fantastic and put in a lot of effort and I know the players appreciate it and fight really hard for that.”
Watch Great Britain take on Colombia in the Davis Cup Qualifiers live on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and on the Tennis Channel in the UK.