GLASGOW — Leon Smith was a curious choice when he was appointed captain of Britain’s Davis Cup team in April 2010. The team was on the verge of being relegated to the lowest levels of the competition, a tennis underworld populated by nations like San Marino and Liechtenstein and their squads of part-timers.
The Lawn Tennis Association, an organization that receives more than $30 million a year from Wimbledon to spend on nurturing and developing elite talent, replaced John Lloyd, a former Australian Open finalist, with Smith. Just 34 years old at the time, with no experience of competing professionally, he hardly seemed like a can’t-miss captain.