LEON Smith is convinced we haven’t seen the last of Andy Murray as a Davis Cup player. After much soul-searching, the former world No.1 decided to focus on his ongoing rehab work after hip surgery in January rather than play in this weekend’s World Group play-off at the Emirates Arena against Uzbekistan, a tie which – due to recent changes to this brand of team tennis – could be the last in Glasgow for quite some time.

The new format, which envisages a 16-team finals at a neutral venue each November, hasn’t been universally popular with the biggest stars in the sport but Smith is confident that the 31-year-old will once again grace a competition where he and his brother played such a key role in Britain’s historic 2015 triumph. With the finals event set to feature three-set matches, the new format could be viewed as more condusive to the top players.

“I don’t see why not, I mean, he absolutely loves it,” said Smith yesterday. “He [Andy] loves playing in the team event. He has played some of his best tennis in the Davis Cup. And I’m sure he’ll say some of his best memories have come in the Davis Cup.

“Now that the format’s been changed, I’ve talked to all the guys about it,” Smith added. “Embrace it and give it a good go. The ITF will look at it and, if it doesn’t work, they’ll have to get their heads together and see what does work. It will all come down to how amazing the atmosphere is, the occasion, which players turn up to play. Let’s hope it’s a success. I think Andy, if he’s fit, healthy and it works for him, he’ll be part of it.”