Amongst Captain Leon Smith’s team is former doubles world No.1s Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski – who have come together to form a partnership on the ATP Tour. 

Salisbury and Skupski have competed alongside each other in a few tournaments over the years and even claimed two titles together in Vienna and San Diego. However, after splitting with their respective doubles partners last season, the two Brits have joined forces in 2025 where they’ve set themselves high expectations. 

It’s safe to say the pair have had a mixed start to their journey together. The Brisbane International was scheduled to be their first stop as a team before Salisbury was forced to withdraw due to illness before bowing out in the second round of the Australian Open. 

Making their way from Australia to Japan for the Davis Cup, we caught up with the British duo to chat all about their new partnership, what advantage having a solidified doubles team may bring and the growing success of the doubles game in Britain.  

“We’ve always got on really well, we’ve enjoyed playing with each other in the past,” Salisbury said. “I’m happy we’ve finally got together and made this partnership happen. It wasn’t the best start in Australia but we’re feeling really positive about it and looking forward to playing together for the rest of the season. 

“I’ve known Joe for a long time,” Skupski added. “We’ve been trying to play with each other for a while. Now it’s come to fruition, I’m looking forward to the season ahead and hopefully, we can have a good season.” 

When it comes to doubles players, Captain Leon Smith is spoilt for choice. There are currently 10 British tennis players ranked inside the top 100 of the ATP doubles rankings, with many of them sweeping up titles on a regular basis at the top-flight of the sport. 

With Smith opting to bring in an established doubles pairing to his team for the tie against Japan, it could pose the question of whether this could give the Brits an edge over their Japanese opponents should the tie head to a deciding doubles rubber. 

“Ideally you have an established team playing together that can then play the Davis Cup because they usually perform better together”, Salisbury added. 

“We’re very supportive of one another if one isn’t playing well and we’re good at picking each other up. We know each other quite well from playing together in the past and practising together and kind of always know what each other are going to do on the court.” 

“For Joe and I, the more we play together it’s only going to help the team,” said Skupski. “Some teams are made up of singles guys but I think we’ll have a bit of an advantage having played together week in week out. We can work and practice and try to improve on our weaknesses and our strengths. 

“We’ve had a lot of doubles guys in the top 100 recently with the likes of Luke Johnson coming through, Marcus Willis in the top 100 now and the success that Henry (Patten) has had in Australia.  

“It just goes to show how good doubles is in Great Britain. Leon is obviously able to pick all different guys for the team so it’s nice he’s picked me and Joe and it feels good to have his confidence in our game - hopefully we can reward him with a win should we play.” 

Former Wimbledon men’s doubles champion Skupski arrives in Miki as the most experienced player in what is a different looking Lexus GB Davis Cup team than we’ve seen recently.  

The 35-year-old will head up a fairly young team consisting of debutants Jacob Fearnley and Jan Choinski, as well as Billy Harris, who made his first appearance for the Brits at the Group Stages in Manchester last September. 

Should he be selected to play, the tie will mark Skupski’s 15th for his nation but with significantly more Davis Cup experience under his belt than his teammates, does this bring a heightened level of responsibility for the Scouser? 

“I’m 35, I don’t think I’m that old, but I am the most experienced on the team now so I’m trying to lead by example. Jacob is new to the team and Billy is still fairly new. I’m always there for them if they need to talk or chat about what’s about to happen or to have a joke. I see myself as one of the leaders anyway, so it comes quite naturally. 

“Jacob’s done amazing since coming out of college, I don’t think he needs any more words of wisdom currently. We’ve practiced a couple of times with him and it’s amazing to see his development from college to the pro ranks.” 

The Brits will no doubt have their sights set on a spot in the Qualifiers second round later this year, where they could face the winner of Israel vs Germany, should they beat Japan. 

Before that, they’ll have to overcome a spirited Japanese side who will be looking to impress on their return to the top tier of the competition in front of a home crowd. 

Team Captain, Go Soeda has opted for an experienced side to take on the Brits, consisting of world No.67 Yoshito Nishioka and former world No.4 Kei Nishikori , who will all pose a tough challenge to the GB team. 

“They’re a very strong team - playing in Japan, the courts feel quite quick here and there’s a little bit of altitude, so we have to be ready. Preparations have been going well so far but I think the team just has to stick together no matter what. 

“We’re a young team – we’ll get behind the singles guys on Friday and let’s roll the dice and see what happens.” 

Great Britain face Japan in the Davis Cup Qualifier first round from Friday 31 January to Saturday 1 February.   

Matches start at 4:00 UK time on Friday morning and 3:00 on Saturday.  

You can watch the tie live exclusively on the Tennis Channel.   

For a limited time, you can get a monthly subscription to the Tennis Channel for less than £1 per month by using the code ‘LTA10’ on sign-up.