 Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 07 Mar 2010 |
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| 07 Mar 2010 - Toulon, France - FRA v GER - Chris Bowers | |
| France plans an indoor summer |
French tennis is gearing up for a great summer, but not all of it will be out in the sunshine. Following France's 4-1 win over Germany in Toulon, the French Tennis Federation let it be known that it is on the look-out for an indoor venue for July’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal against Spain that takes place over the weekend of 9-11 July.
Although the French knew they would be at home in the quarterfinals on Saturday night, it took until Sunday afternoon to know they would be playing against the Spaniards, following David Ferrer’s win over Stanislas Wawrinka that sealed Spain’s passage to the last eight.
And while the tie will take place at the height of the French summer, the impressive results posted by French players in indoor tournaments means the tie will almost certainly be played under a roof.
"Spain have a very strong team" says Forget
“I think the guys will choose an indoor hard court,” said France’s captain Guy Forget, “fast with a low bounce, but it’s the level of the players that will make the biggest difference. Spain is the world champion, and they have a very strong team even when [Rafael] Nadal is injured, so we know what to expect and we’re going to have to play our best tennis if we’re to have a chance.”
A number of French cities have indoor arenas, but outside Paris and Marseille, the biggest spectator capacity is Pau at 7,500, which is unlikely to host the tie as it is so close to the Spanish border that France might lose a lot of its home advantage.
Officials from the FFT are saying one possible outcome is an indoor venue where the stadium would be built from scratch.
France have great team spirit
Wherever the quarterfinal is played, the French clearly have an impressive group of players with a great team spirit. Even in the dead rubbers – played in front of a packed Palais des Sports – there was no suggestion of the players relaxing.
Although Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired to protect a mild foot injury against Germany’s debutant Simon Greul, Julien Benneteau played at full intensity against the determined Benjamin Becker in the final rubber to leave the final score 4-1.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the two sides was the back-up players. Both countries have more than ten men in the world’s top 100, but while several of Germany’s players declared themselves unavailable for this tie, France had Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon on the bench the entire weekend, suggesting an esprit de corps that could match that of the Spanish team, as well as a similar competition for places.
As for Germany, it seems no closer to turning its reasonable strength in depth into a team capable of challenging for the title, and it has a chronic inability to win against France.
The last time Germany won a live rubber against the French was in 1953! In fairness, the two nations never played each other during Germany’s glory years of 1985-95, but the Germans still look jinxed against their western neighbours.
Perhaps the biggest boost for the French to come out of this weekend is the makings of a very balanced side. With Tsonga and Gael Monfils both in the world’s top 20, and Gasquet and Simon knocking on the door, there is no shortage of singles players, and in Benneteau and Michaël Llodra, Forget has a powerful doubles team made up of two potential singles players.
Related links
> Twitter
> Tie information
> Audio interviews
> Scorecards & stats
> France celebrates return of good times
> France in the driving seat
> Desire adds to France’s status as favourite
Related websites
> Info en francais- FFT
> Deutscher Tennis Bund EV
Related Audio
 Interview with captain Guy Forget (FRA) - Sunday
 
If you cannot hear the audio, then please update your media player by following one of the links above.
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