James Ward has warned man-of-the-moment Dan Evans he will not give up his Davis Cup spot without a fight.
Ward was the key player in Britain's climb back into Europe/Africa Zone I but did not fare so well in his first match at that level this weekend, winning only one set in clashes against Lukas Lacko and Martin Klizan in Glasgow.
In contrast, Evans rose to the challenge in spectacular fashion, beating world number 65 Lacko in straight sets and pulling off a five-set win over Klizan in the deciding rubber as Britain claimed a 3-2 victory.
They will return to Braehead Arena in April to take on Belgium and should Andy Murray, absent this time, choose to play, captain Leon Smith will have to choose between Ward and Evans for the second singles spot.
"I've been here for two and a half years and my Davis Cup record's a pretty decent one, even with these two losses," said Ward.
"I've won a lot of big matches so it would be difficult for me to chuck myself out of the team at the moment, but it's up to Leon."
Ward headed off to the United States on Monday for a series of tournaments as he bids to lift his ranking above its current 156, something he feels Davis Cup has not always helped.
The Londoner added: "It's a good run of tournaments and I know I'm playing a good level so I'm looking forward to it. It doesn't help taking weeks off and not gaining points but you've always got to play for your country when asked and that's what I've done.
"Sometimes it's not beneficial to the ranking but I'll concentrate on trying to boost my ranking for the next few months and get into the top 100, which has been my goal for a while."
Smith welcomed the potential selection dilemma, with Jamie Baker, who was injured for this tie, and Josh Goodall also hoping to come into contention.
"That's what we want," said the Scot. "It's not as healthy having a clear number one and a clear number two and then the rest, you want everyone challenging for a spot on the team.
"What Dan's done this weekend, other people will think, 'I'm not that far away from Dan, I want a bit of this', and they should be thinking, 'If he can do it, I can do it'."
Evans, once one of the world's highest-ranked teenagers, has always been a talent and he showed this weekend he should be much higher than his current mark of 273.
The 21-year-old from Birmingham has been criticised in the past for his attitude and level of commitment but his decision in December to moved from Nottingham to train at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton under new coach Julien Hoferlin appears to be paying dividends.
Smith has no doubt Evans is heading in the right direction and has urged him to show the same form when he returns to the Challenger circuit in France later this month.
"Dan is way better than what his ranking is and this is the sort of thing that can give him the momentum, confidence and self belief to go on, knuckle down over the months ahead and, on a consistent basis, whether it's a Challenger in Mexico off the beaten track or wherever, to really find his level," said Smith, who is also the Lawn Tennis Association's head of men's tennis.
"I've got every confidence he can do that because the way he's working every day now is different to what I've seen before. He's very focused, very driven and he's really taken ownership of where he wants to go, which is the main thing for any player."
Evans added: "For sure I'd like to be higher ranked than I am but it takes hard work. I've been working really hard from December with my fitness coach and new coach and hopefully I can keep my head down and keep doing what I'm doing."
