John Lloyd, the British number one from 1984 to 1985, captained the Great Britain Davis Cup team from August 2006 until March 2010.
The British squad underwhelmed under Lloyd’s tutelage. Lloyd lost last five of his final eight Davis Cup ties, resigning from the post ahead of a play-off with Turkey in 2010.
This play-off against Turkey determined which country would be relegated to the lowest tier of the competition.
Luckily for British tennis fans, their nation won the tie, securing a first Davis Cup victory in almost three years.
In 2011, Lloyd criticised Andy Murray’s commitment to the Davis Cup, claiming the British number one should have played more for his country while he was captaining the team.
Andy Murray said John Lloyd was ‘picking’ on him
As per the Guardian, Lloyd said: “Call me old-fashioned but when is it a convenience, and not a privilege, to play for your country?”
“I know Roger Federer, and other top players, pick and choose when to play in the Davis Cup. But does that make it right?
The Davis Cup has to make a change… which is your preference?
“If England’s football team had failed to qualify for the World Cup, would it be OK for Wayne Rooney to turn round and say that he didn’t think he’d bother playing for the international team until they had some proper matches or a team worthy of his time? Of course not.
“When did it come about that someone only played for their country when they had a good team? Yet the public seem to have accepted Andy should be playing only when the team are in the upper echelons of the competition.
“The reality is that the only way for Britain to get back to the World Group of the Davis Cup is with him in the team.”
Understandably, Murray was not best pleased by Lloyd’s comments. A few days after Lloyd’s summary was made public, Murray responded.
The British star, who went on to lead Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015, said Lloyd was ‘picking’ on him.
“I would personally rather he told me what he felt and if he had felt that at the time I would rather he had said it two or three years ago,” Murray said, as reported by the Guardian.
“It would have been better for me, but it happens, and if that’s how he felt then he’s entitled to his opinion.”
“Everyone when they lose their job – I don’t know because I’ve not been in that position – but I’m sure it hurts.
“But as I said before, it’s time for guys to start actually being positive about British tennis and what we can do to improve it, and I don’t think the right person to start picking on with that is me.”
This is not the only occasion Lloyd has questioned players’ commitment to international tennis tournaments. This week, the Brit said it was ‘beyond belief’ that Emma Raducanu and Jannik Sinner skipped the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Davis Cup Finals this year.
Andy Murray won the 2015 Davis Cup
Four years after John Lloyd made his comments, Andy Murray lifted the Davis Cup trophy.
In the first round, Murray secured an unassailable 3-1 lead for Great Britain against the USA after defeating John Isner 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 in Glasgow, Scotland.
A 3-1 win against France followed, securing a first appearance in the Davis Cup semi-finals since 1981.
The British team, headlined by Murray, then defeated Australia 3-2 in the semi-finals.
In the final, Murray clinched victory with a straight-sets win over David Goffin. The occasion marked Great Britain’s first Davis Cup title since 1936.
Great Britain have received a favourable Davis Cup draw for the 2026 competition. They will play Norway in the first round of qualifying.
