Leon Smith has suggested Great Britain have a ‘really good chance’ of winning the 2026 Davis Cup, but on one condition.
Great Britain defeated Poland in their World Group 1 tie to confirm their place in the qualifying stage for next year’s event.
Dan Evans questioned Great Britain after their shock loss, but two wins for Cameron Norrie and one for debutant Arthur Fery confirmed the win for Great Britain.
After the winning tie, Leon Smith spoke about Great Britain’s chances of winning the tournament next year.
Leon Smith says Jack Draper is pivotal in Great Britain’s 2026 Davis Cup chances
Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain has opened up about his team’s chances of winning the tournament in 2026 after reaching the qualifying stage.
“Honestly, I think we’ve got a really good chance [of winning],” said Smith to BBC Sport after Great Britain defeated Poland in Gdynia.
However, the Davis Cup captain did add a caveat to Great Britain’s chances of success in the 2026 tournament.
“It comes down to who is available to play,” said Smith, who lost Jack Draper to an arm injury ahead of the Poland clash.
Smith believes Draper is important to Britain’s chances of success after a brilliant year saw him reach a career high of World No. 4.
“You need your top players to try and win it – that’s clear,” Smith explained. “But I hope the players are motivated to play.”
Draper withdrew from the US Open due to his arm injury and confirmed that he would miss the rest of 2025.
Draper marked his Davis Cup debut with an impressive win against Thanasi Kokkinakis during a tie against Australia in Manchester in September 2024.
When is Great Britain’s next Davis Cup tie?
After securing their place in the qualifying stages for the 2026 event, Great Britain will have an eager eye on the Davis Cup Final in November 2025, where the draw will take place.
The qualifiers, which take place in February 2026, are between 26 nations, who compete in 13 ties across two days.
The winners of those ties go into the second round for a chance to progress to the Davis Cup Final next November, which will be hosted by Italy.
Great Britain last won the Davis Cup in 2015, thanks to an inspired Andy Murray leading the team to victory.
