Nick Kyrgios not mentally ready for a Davis Cup crowd, says Great Britain captain Leon Smith
Thursday 17 September 2015 15:57, UK
Great Britain captain Leon Smith has backed Australia's decision to leave Nick Kyrgios out of this weekend's Davis Cup World Group semi-finals.
Smith takes charge of a Great Britain side including world No 3 Andy Murray for the upcoming clash with Australia at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, starting on Friday.
The Aussies will arrive without Kygrios, their second highest ranked player, after captain Wally Masur instead opted to select Bernard Tomic, Lleyton Hewitt and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Masur felt it was in the 20-year-old's 'best interest' to miss the tie following a tumultuous few months, which has seen Kygrios attract controversy at Wimbledon and receive a 28-day suspended ban from the ATP for making vulgar remarks about the girlfriend of opponent Stan Wawrinka.
Smith understands the decision and believes Kyrgios' temperament could have been severely tested by the partisan Scottish support.
If you're not in the right head space, then that can be difficult to cope with.
"I think it was a tough decision for the Australian team," he told Sky Sports News HQ. "I think Nick is very dangerous, he's a tough player and we saw that when he played Andy at the US Open.
"He's had some great results over the last two years, but clearly he's not in the right head space.
"I think if the crowd, which I'm sure it will be, is anything like what we had last time out against USA - it was very, very strong for us, made a lot of noise.
"If you're not in the right head space, then that can be difficult to cope with."
Murray has linked up with his Davis Cup team-mates following his fourth round exit at the US Open, but Smith is yet to decide his list of matches.
The British No 1 has undergone a busy schedule in recent months, while brother Jamie might also be feeling the effects of reaching the doubles final in Flushing Meadows, and Smith will carefully consider their workload.
He said: "We'll probably get through Friday's matches before deciding what to do with the doubles to see how Andy is feeling and if he's had a quick or a long match.
"Well I think he would want to play all three, as he did against France. I think he is the best player in the team and it's important to try and field your strongest as possible.
"But the players we are playing against this weekend are very good tennis players and there is no easy match. But clearly if he was to play - and be fairly comfortable - then it gives him a better chance to play all three days."
Join our live coverage of Great Britain's Davis Cup semi-final against Australia from midday on Friday.
