AS the Davis Cup quarter-final in Rouen took a farcical turn, Leon Smith admitted the “conveyor belt” of talent that helped France to victory shows no sign of being replicated in Britain.
The meaningful action concluded on Saturday after victory for Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut in the doubles added to singles wins for Lucas Pouille and Jeremy Chardy but the rules required the dead rubbers to be played.
The record books will show that Dan Evans defeated Benneteau 6-1 6-2 before a 6-4 6-4 win for Chardy over Kyle Edmund made the final score 4-1 to France. What will not be recorded is that a contest that was never serious at one stage saw Evans taking on Benneteau, Nicolas Mahut and French captain Yannick Noah.
The International Tennis Federation only drew the line at the leader of Stirling University’s Barmy Army joining Evans on court to even up the numbers and confirmed the antics were deemed acceptable. Benneteau, a substitute for Pouille, is better known these days as a doubles player and at 113 in the world in singles is only the French number 13. Chardy, ranked 68 and a surprise pick for the tie, is the French number nine.
Such depth is something GB captain Smith can only dream of and this tie exposed the fact that resources below Andy Murray remain thin at the top level.
“The big difference in our nation compared to the big hitters is someone like France who have 19 in the top 200,” said Smith. “We’ve got four in the top 100 and then that’s it. This is a great team but it would be nice to have players who are joining these guys on tour, sitting around 75, even 125, 150.
“It just means you’ve got more of a conveyor belt coming through. Do I think it’s round the corner? Maybe with a couple of them but there’s certainly not a conveyor belt.
“That’s something that continually needs addressing. Is it down to performance teams, our club culture?”
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