British Davis Cup captain David Lloyd has blamed unfit players and the game's governing body for defeat in the Czech Republic.

But top tennis coach Tony Pickard says Lloyd should not have gone public with his comments about his young players.

And the Lawn Tennis Association themselves say Lloyd cannot escape the blame for the defeat.

The LTA's chief executive John Crowther says Lloyd may have a point but that public criticism does not help.

Britain lost 4-1 in Ostrava on Sunday, with only Tim Henman providing any resistance to the Czechs.

It is now 14 years since GB won a match in the elite 16-nation world group, and they now face a relegation play-off in July to stay in the top flight.

Henman was not among the players Lloyd was talking about, while his other top player Rusedski was absent from this first round tie after a foot operation.

But the captain believes other members of the British squad are simply not fit enough to compete at the highest level.

"If these players such as Jamie Delgado and Arvind Parmar are going to be Davis Cup players I want them to come to my match fit," Lloyd told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I can't get them fit in 10 days. They have to come fit and that's the LTA's job. They are not nearly as fit as they could be and they are limited if they are being honest. We have to be superfit.

"Tim is very fit but the others are not fit enough and hopefully they know that. If we need to get a one-on-one trainer to push them every day of their life then that's what we have to do."

Parmar did not appear in the tie, while Delgado lost both his singles matches in straight sets.

LTA chief Crowther said Lloyd's comments were unhelpful.

"David has been on our professional tennis board for three years, so he has been in the right place to supervise these programmes," he said.

"If you continually say there are no players under Henman and Rusedski, then those chaps trying to come up will start to believe it."

Meanwhile Pickard, who coached Edberg to Grand Slam titles from his London base, says Lloyd should have kept his thoughts to himself.

"David's criticising young men who have been part of his team, and the last place to criticise them is on the radio or the television.

"If he wants to tell them they're not fit then he should take them in a room," said Pickard.

Lloyd conceded that Britain were simply not good enough on the clay courts in Ostrava.

"It was very disappointing but no excuses, they were better than us," Lloyd added.

"I don't think we could have prepared any better but on clay they were better than us.

"We are short on players, we need a lot of talent coming through, a lot of players to pressure Tim and Greg. At the moment there are not enough.

"We have a long way to go until we get the depth in talent. It's like a pyramid, you need a good base to get to the pinnacle but it's been that way in British tennis for a long, long time."