Great Britain 'have chance' of Davis Cup glory says captain Leon Smith after Cameron Norrie seals win over Poland
ByTNT UK
Published 13/09/2025 at 20:03 GMT+1
Cameron Norrie clinched Great Britain a place in next year's Davis Cup qualifiers after beating Poland's Olaf Pieczkowski to open up an unassailable 3-1 lead. Team GB captain Leon Smith says Davis Cup glory can be achieved if Jack Draper returns to full fitness in time for February's qualifiers. World No. 7 Draper has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to an arm injury.
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Cameron Norrie secured Great Britain a spot in next year's Davis Cup qualifiers after sealing victory over Poland's Olaf Pieczkowski, with captain Leon Smith in bullish mood about their chances of winning the competition in 2026 if Jack Draper is available.
British No. 2 Norrie held his nerve to win 6-4 6-4 against the world No. 484 and, with it, established an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five World Group 1 tie.
On Friday, Norrie overcame Tomasz Berkieta 7-6(9) 6-4 in Gdynia, Poland to win his nation's opening match before Arthur Fery fought his way to a 6-4 6-2 triumph over Pieczkowski.
World No. 34 Norrie then backed up that success on Saturday with a professional display to book Team GB's place in February's first round and a shot at clinching a first title since 2015.
It came after Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool narrowly succumbed to a close doubles rubber defeat against Jan Zielinski and Karol Drzewiecki 3-6 6-3 7-6(6) in two hours and nine minutes to leave relegation to World Group 2 still on the line.
World No. 7 Draper has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to an arm injury, which forced his withdrawal from the US Open, but Smith is confident about Team GB's chances in 2026, provided the country's leading men's tennis player returns to full fitness.
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"Honestly, I think we've got a really good chance [of winning]," said Smith.
"It comes down to who is available to play. You need your top players to try and win it - that's clear. But I hope the players are motivated to play.
"I think there's an appetite from our top players to want to play, and of course, if you have got someone like Jack [Draper], when he comes into the team and you've got a top-tenner, it obviously makes a difference as well.
"We've got good depth with Cam [Norrie], Jacob [Fearnley], Arthur [Fery], and there are others, and with strong doubles options, you have a chance."
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The draw for the 2026 Davis Cup qualifiers will take place after the eight-team finals in November.
"The most important thing is that we got the job done in a tie like this," Smith added. "We did a very professional job. It was good to get Arthur Fery his debut and it was a winning one which is a great experience for him.
"Then you have Cam Norrie in your team, who is so rich in experience. We didn’t drop a set in the singles, which shows the respect we gave the opposition.
"We can look forward now to the draw for next year."
Germany secured their place in this year's last eight with a 4-0 dismantling of Japan, while France sealed a convincing win over Croatia and Argentina qualified after knocking out last year’s finalists Netherlands in their second-round qualifying tie.
Meanwhile, Austria also qualified with a 3-2 success against Hungary, while Belgium and Denmark took commanding 2-0 leads over Australia and Spain respectively.
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