Leon Smith praised his Davis Cup team as they almost pulled off a remarkable comeback against Argentina in Glasgow.
Great Britain’s title defence was hanging by a thread after singles defeats for Andy Murray - in a five hour epic against Juan Martin Del Potro - and Kyle Edmund on Friday.
Murray and brother Jamie gave a glimmer of hope with a doubles win but only ten times in 35 years has a team in the Davis Cup come from two down to win a tie - and it ultimately proved just beyond Great Britain too.
The world number two, clearly exhausted after nearly ten hours tennis in three days, forced the tie into a fifth and deciding match with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win over Guido Pella.
But Dan Evans, playing the decisive match against Leonardo Mayer, couldn’t complete the comeback as he lost 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
"It never feels good losing, of course it doesn't, but no regrets," said Smith.
"We just asked the guys to go out and fight their hardest, the Argentinians over the course of the weekend just played that little bit better and got the wins that were needed."
Murray looked spent after his singles match with Pella, spending much of the third set with a grimace of pain etched on his face and briefly leaving the court for a medical break.
He will play Grigor Dimitrov in a charity event in Glasgow on Wednesday and isn’t back in tournament action until the China Open in Beijing in two weeks.
"I expected to feel tired and I knew I was going to be in some pain,” he said.
"I've never really had any muscle injuries before. That was worrying for me but I managed to get it done in straight sets thankfully.
“I was still moving alright but when you get pain in your body it does distract you. I need a break. I have played so much tennis, my body needs some rest."
Sportsbeat 2016