![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/inside-the-row-tearing-apart-britains-davis-cup-team/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/TELEMMGLPICT000119656093_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqLeUJvOJqnV613e1NxllMSVHmPOpeFd0SyQx9dn7kM_w.jpeg&description=But it would be a blow if Evans – who is likely to finish the season at No27 after Wednesday's 6-3, 6-4 loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas – were to make himself unavailable for February's tie. 'I haven't seen Leon much here, but it's not a personal issue with Leon,' said Evans on Wednesday. 'I think it's a more of a cultural issue. This as good as I can put it: the singles guys are better than the doubles guys, if your game style matches up to play in doubles. 'We should be thinking that it's for Great Britain and whoever gets on the court should win. Let's not forget Rajeev Ram played the opposite side to what he normally plays in that match [in Glasgow]. That wasn't a good loss or a bad loss, that was a shocking loss. That's why I can't sit there and do it all over again. And if the answer [from Smith] is 'Listen, I think Joe's better than you, and I think Neal [Skupski, the other doubles specialist in the team] is better than you,' then we've got a problem.' Evans has previously been critical of doubles specialists, describing them in 2019 as 'people who didn't have the attitude to work hard enough to make it in the singles game'. At the time, the former world doubles No 1 Jamie Murray described Evans's comments as 'ill-informed and dumb'. But Murray – who is to team up with New Zealand's world No 9 Michael Venus for next season – said on Wednesday that 'Evo is well within his rights to feel like he should play, it's not like he is a s--- doubles player.' Jamie Murray also suggested that, given the small margins involved in Great Britain's two doubles defeats, the presence of Cayer in Glasgow might have been helpful. 'If you're going to say, 'We're going to play with Joe,' then it makes sense for Louis to be there because he's Joe's coach," Murray said. "And with Andy having not really played any doubles at all this year, it probably would have made sense for him to have been there supporting them. 'Maybe having Louis there might have helped them one or two per c){kind=link}
A rumored row between Dan Evans and Leon Smith is at the heart of the issues current affecting the team
There are fears of a split developing within Great Britain’s Davis Cup team, after Dan Evans and captain Leon Smith spent the week at the same tournament in Paris without speaking.
Evans made headlines a fortnight ago by calling out Smith’s selection of world No 4 Joe Salisbury in the doubles team for the recent qualifying event in Glasgow, and suggesting that he should have taken that place himself.
At the time, Evans said he would be keen “to have a conversation and sit down” with Smith to discuss why Salisbury had been preferred. But that has not happened in Paris, and the chances of Evans dropping out of February’s World Group play-offs seem to be climbing.
Evans doubled down on Wednesday by describing Salisbury and Andy Murray’s loss to the American team of Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram as “shocking”. He added that “I was devastated when we lost … maybe I’m putting too much into it and maybe I should just take a step back from it.”