British Davis Cup Captain Urges Fans to Create 'Football Atmosphere' Ahead of Crucial Matches

British Davis Cup captain Leon Smith has called on fans to generate a "football crowd" atmosphere to boost his team’s chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the prestigious men’s tennis competition. Britain is set to face Argentina on Friday and reigning champions Canada on Sunday in Manchester, as they look to secure a spot in the next round.

The call to action comes after Britain edged Finland 2-1 in their opening group tie on Wednesday. While Dan Evans and Billy Harris both secured singles victories, the British doubles pairing of Evans and Neal Skupski narrowly lost to Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Otto Virtanen, missing out on a clean sweep in the best-of-three contest.

The tie, played in front of a crowd of just over 6,000 in Manchester’s 21,000-capacity arena, lacked the energy and fervor often associated with Davis Cup matches. The upper tier of the arena was curtained off, and the atmosphere, particularly during the doubles match, was muted at times—a fact Smith hopes will change for the upcoming crucial encounters.

"I urge those coming on Friday and Sunday to empty the tank," said Smith, encouraging fans to be vocal and passionate in their support. "You see it at the French Open, it's like a football crowd. It makes a difference at the end of a long day."

Evans, who played in both the singles and doubles matches, was frequently seen gesturing to the crowd, trying to ignite some energy in the arena. However, given the midweek slot and the fact that many attendees were likely balancing commitments during school term time, the turnout was smaller than hoped.

The importance of fan support is not lost on Smith, especially in a format where margins are razor-thin. While Britain emerged victorious against Finland, Smith knows that a 3-0 win would have been ideal, given the team’s experience last year, when they scraped through the group stage on the back of three 2-1 victories.

"We talked about it at 2-0," Smith admitted. "We can't fault Dan and Neal's efforts – they were bang on it. It was a shot here and there. But 3-0 would have been lovely. It would have helped if the crowd could have played a bit more part in it, creating noise and energy the whole way."

As Britain prepares to face two strong opponents in Argentina and Canada, the support of the home crowd could prove to be a vital asset. With the stakes high and the competition fierce, Smith is hopeful that fans will turn out in force and create the kind of electric atmosphere that could propel the team to success.

The round-robin format of the Davis Cup means that every match is critical, and Britain will be hoping for the loud, energetic support that has become a hallmark of their recent home ties.

With a place in the knockout stages on the line, the message is clear: the British team needs the crowd to be their 12th man.