Davis Cup 2015: Kyle Edmund on course for tournament debut - in the final

Leon Smith insisted that he had not made a decision on his second singles player for next week’s Davis Cup final against Belgium but from the way Britain’s captain was talking, it would be a big surprise if Kyle Edmund does not win the vote.

Edmund, who would be the first player to make his Davis Cup debut in the final for 13 years, is in contention with James Ward for the second singles slot behind Andy Murray.

Ward has performed heroics in the Davis Cup in the past, but his form has slipped in the second half of this year. He won a hard-court Challenger tournament in Bangalore four weeks ago but was victorious in only one match in the two subsequent tournaments he played in South America on clay, the surface the Belgians have chosen for the indoor final in Ghent.

While Edmund had his own dip at the end of the summer, the world No 99 hit form at just the right time last week, when he won a clay-court Challenger title in Buenos Aires, beating two highly experienced campaigners in Horacio Zeballos and Carlos Berlocq.

Smith, who was with Edmund in Argentina, said: “He played very, very well. There were a number of reasons he was impressive – the field he was up against, the environment. It was hot, tough conditions. [The South American players] had pretty decent support, especially for the final, and they were established players he beat.”

He added: “Kyle has played a lot on clay. He played a good level. Against Zeballos he won 25 from 25 on first serve – against a good player.”

Edmund is playing another clay-court Challenger this week in Uruguay where he met Chile’s Christian Garin in the second round. The Briton has an eye on his own world ranking position, which he needs to hold to ensure direct entry into the Australian Open in January.

Smith agreed there was a danger that Edmund might be tired by the time he returns to Europe but felt that was outweighed by the positive effect of playing competitive matches. He views Murray’s involvement in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in the same light.

“I don’t know what the Belgians are doing, but if you haven’t played for three or four weeks and you are just practising, nothing can replicate playing against very, very good players,” Smith said.

Britain’s captain also said he would not be concerned about Edmund’s age or lack of experience. “I think everyone is going to be nervous, not just a young guy that comes in,” he said. “If he does play I don’t think it will be a factor.”

Smith said he had been impressed by Ward’s “commitment and dedication and willingness to fight for a spot”. The Londoner travelled to South America after a good run on hard courts in India.

“He’s had a lot of matches now, so that’s important,” Smith said. “He’s also had time on clay. The results and performances weren’t there yet, but the good thing is that he’s banked in Ecuador and Buenos Aires two weeks and a lot of clay-court training and sparring – not as many matches as he would have liked and we would have liked, but he’s banked two important weeks and now he can train on indoor clay this week.”

Smith will not make a decision on the second singles player until the team have assembled in Ghent early next week and he has had a chance to assess everyone’s health and fitness.

But he added: “I think I’m close to knowing which direction I want to go with it. I just want to have a chat with one or two tried and tested confidants and then I’ll try and communicate with the players as soon as possible.”