After being suspended by their national body earlier this year, Carolina Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic have been named in the French Fed Cup squad for their upcoming final against the Czech Republic.
The French duo was handed a brief suspension in August by the French Tennis Federation (FTT) after criticising the organization during the Olympic Games. The FTT found Garcia and Mladenovic guilty of ‘damaging the image of tennis.’ The confrontation started when the two players wrote critical messages on their social media accounts about their federation’s management. They expressed anger about not being informed that they had to wear identical outfits at the Rio Olympics or risk being disqualified from the competition. Racing to solve the issue shortly before their match against Japan’s Misaki Doi and Eri Hozumi, the two suffered a shock loss.
“Thanks to our federation, so incompetent, to have ruined a sporting moment so important in the careers of Caroline Garcia and me,” Mladenovic wrote on Twitter.
“…This incident off court cost a lot of energy, and unfortunately our tennis was not high and we could not succeed.”
Mladenovic’s and Garcia’s criticisms were dismissed by the FTT, who hit back at the comments and called their actions ‘unacceptable.’ Their short-lived suspension, who prohibits players from playing in team tournaments and receiving financial support, was lifted in September.
Both Garcia and Mladenovic are ranked in the world’s top 50. Together they have won four doubles titles this season, including the French Open. At the WTA Finals in Singapore, the top seeded team lost in the semifinals to Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.
Other players confirmed for the upcoming tie are Alize Cornet and Pauline Parmentier. France, who is lead by team captain Amelie Mauresmo, will host the final at the Rhénus Sport Arena between November 12th-13th. They are bidding to win the title for only the third time in history and the first since 2003.
The French #FedCup team for the Final in Strasbourg is: @CaroGarcia @KikiMladenovic @alizecornet @ppauline86 pic.twitter.com/pILw4X3r86
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) 2 November 2016
