The French tennis federation (FFT) has unveiled their provisional team for the upcoming Davis Cup Finals and as it currently stands their highest ranked player has not made the cut.
Gael Monfils has not been selected by team captain Sebatian Grosjean who said his decision was made following a conversation the two had. The world No.21 has been taken out of contention and replaced by world No.28 Ugo Humbert in a team composed of both ‘old and new’ players. Humbert is set to be joined by Richard Gasquet, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Nicolas Mahut and Arthur Rinderknech for the 18-nation competition which will be held across three European cities.
“I spoke with Gaël, he understands my choice. It’s my choice,” Grosjean told reporters on Monday.
However, Monfils has not been completely ruled out of the squad with the captain suggesting he could make a late change if he produces good results in his remaining tournaments. So far this season Monfils has achieved a win-loss record of 15-16. His best result on the Tour was last month when he reached the final of the Sofia Open before losing in straight sets to Jannik Sinner. He is currently 0-3 against top 10 opposition this year.
“The regulations allow us to change three names one month before the competition so everything can change but my choice for now is the one I told you,” Grosjean commented.
Monfils has played in a total of 14 Davis Cup ties between 2009-2019 with a win-loss record of 12-3.
France was the one of the last countries to play a Davis Cup final before the competition was turned into a weeklong event. Former world No.4 Grosjean, who played in three Davis Cup title ties during his career, says his team will fight for another victory but admits he would like to see the old format return.
“It’s the formula, we’re going to play it and continue to represent the French team as best we can,” he said. “But if, in the future, it were possible to return to the “home and away” formula, it would be great.
“I’m the captain, I don’t make any decisions about the system. But to have experienced these atmospheres, it’s very special to go to Austria, especially as there are people (Dominic Thiem) absent.”
The Davis Cup Finals will get underway on November 25th. France has been drawn in the same group as the Czech Republic and Great Britain with the winner progressing to the knockout stages. They will play their group matches in Innsbruck.
Note: quotes via Tennis Majors/We Love Tennis
