Leon Smith (tennis)

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Leon Smith (born in 1976 in Glasgow)[1] is a Scottish tennis coach. Smith is captain of the Great Britain Davis Cup team, and the Lawn Tennis Association's Head of Men’s Tennis.[2]

Career

Smith began coaching professionally at club level aged 18. He has focused on elite players since 1998, and became national performance officer for Tennis Scotland that year. Two years later he helped set up a tennis academy at the Next Generation club in Edinburgh. He rejoined Tennis Scotland as LTA academy coach, and became national training coach for Scotland in 2004.[3]

Smith has coached several Scottish junior players, most notably Andy Murray.[3] Smith worked with Murray from age 11 to 15,[4] during which time Murray won the Junior Orange Bowl under-12 title[3][5] and five ITF Futures events.[3] Smith and Murray remained friends, and Smith assisted Murray at the French Open in 2006 during a period when Murray had no full-time coach.[4]

Smith became the LTA's national under-16s men's coach in 2005 and the under-18s coach in 2008.[3] He was later appointed Head of Player Development in Men's Tennis, and promoted to Head of Men's Tennis simultaneously to his appointment as Davis Cup captain.[2] In 2011 he became Head of Women's Tennis in addition to his existing responsibilities.[6]

Davis Cup captaincy

Smith's appointment as Davis Cup captain was announced by the LTA on 12 April 2010. His appointment at age 34 made him the youngest Great Britain captain since Paul Hutchins (appointed in 1975 aged 30), and one of the few to be appointed without having been a top-level player.[7] His first tie as captain was a Europe/Africa Zone Group II match against Turkey, held at Eastbourne from July 9, 2010,[2] which Great Britain won 5-0.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "'Best career win' transforms Dan Evans from teenage troublemaker to Davis Cup upstart at Braehead". Herald Scotland. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "GB Davis Cup captain named". Lawn Tennis Association. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Is Leon Smith the man to save British tennis?". BBC News. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Andy Murray's former coach Leon Smith lined up to be Britain's new Davis Cup captain". The Daily Telegraph. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Andy Murray's story as told by his coaches". The Guardian. 17 January 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2010. 
  6. ↑ "Leon Smith handed expanded role in LTA performance team". BBC News Online. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012. 
  7. ↑ "British Davis Cup captain Leon Smith vows to reward success". The Daily Telegraph. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010. 
  8. ↑ "Leon Smith puts Britain's Davis Cup 2010 hopes on track following defeat of Turkey". The Daily Telegraph. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010. 
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