Find out what caught the attention of our journalist present in Pau: The return of the atmosphere during a home match in France, the solidity of the Herbert-Mahut duo; but also the weakness of the opponent or the vagueness that always surrounds the course of the Davis Cup.
From our special correspondent in Pau,
FAVORITES
Saturday mood
The French have (finally) found their supporters, four years after the final lost against Croatia. So of course the attendance was modest for two days in Pau, compared to the 25,000 spectators in Villeneuve-d’Ascq. But after a fairly wise Friday, the tricolor fans let go of the horses on Saturday. They were nearly 4,000 pushing loudly behind their players. “The public played its part, welcomed Mahut. When we are led from a break in the 2nd set, he is there, we break straight away. We feel the fervor of the public and if we, we feel it, the opponents too. This is also the Davis Cup».
The double Mahut Herbert
One of the best doubles teams in the world responded. As per usual. The day after the victories of Arthur Rinderknech and Adrian Mannarino in the first two singles, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert brought the decisive point by winning the double against Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo (6-3, 7-5 ). Confirmation Mahut-Herbert, it’s tough. In eleven Davis Cup matches, the two associated friends have conceded only one defeat (in Croatia in 2016). If they did not play their best tennis, they knew, once again brought a point to the Blues. Indispensable.
Read alsohttps://www.lefigaro.fr/sports/tennis/coupe-davis/coupe-davis-le-duo-mahut-herbert-assure-la-qualification-logique-des-bleus-face-a-l-equateur-20220305
The Blues in support of Ukraine
While the players of the France team wanted to put a Ukrainian flag on their tracksuit this weekend, in solidarity with the Ukrainian population, victim of Russian aggression, the FFT goes further with the initiative “French tennis for Ukraine and peace“. A call for donations for the benefit of the support of Ukrainian children, young people and families by UNICEF has been launched with the entire French tennis family, the FFT itself directly contributing to this fund to the tune of 150,000 euros. And it is Nicolas Mahut who is the ambassador of this solidarity program. “There was no question of hesitating when I was offered this role of ambassador, said Nicolas Mahut. It will be important to show that we can speak with one voice. An initiative to be welcomed.
Read alsoTennis: The FFT launches the initiative “French Tennis for Ukraine and Peace”
CLAW STRIKES
The sparsely stocked stands of Fridayi
For the return of the Blues to French soil, France faced modest Ecuador. Not the most glamorous opponent. And in the absence of Gaël Monfils, the French team was made up of players still little known to the general public (Bonzi, Rinderknech). This is also why the Palais des Sports was not full for two days. But if Saturday the atmosphere was warm (see above), it was quite wise on Friday for the first two singles, despite the hundred supporters of the supporters’ association. Pity.
The too weak Ecuadorian opposition
«We really respected the Ecuadorians, we prepared well so as not to have any bad surprises. This was the desired result. There are the victories, the state of mind, the atmosphere. Everything is positive about this weekend in Pau!“. Difficult to contradict the captain of the Blues Sébastien Grosjean. So of course, these same Ecuadorians had hooked the Spaniards and the Russians a little last year in Madrid. But, it must be recognized, that they evolve far from the world gratin. Emilio Gomez, the leader 144e world, delivered a pale copy during his first round lost against Arthur Rinderknech, who however alternated the good and the less good. Roberto Quiroz (381e) was scuttled in the last round against Mannarino, who gave up a set and was not very serene during the first two sets. And facing the Escobar-Hidalgo duo, Mahut-Herbert did not have their best match in this event either. We expect to see this French team face more serious opposition in September.
The Davis Cup still sails on sight
The Blues hope to play the group stage at home again in September. Gilles Moretton has positioned himself publicly. He announced on Saturday that France was going to apply for the organization of matches in this group stage (September 14-18). Moretton implied that this “final 8would take place in Abu Dhabi in November for a knockout phase (November 23 to 27), from the quarter-finals to the final. But nothing has been officially confirmed yet. Kosmos and the ITF sail on sight. It’s blurry, very blurry. A certitude. A new date in France would restore some visibility to a century-old competition which has lost its luster and which never ceases to grope.
Read alsoDavis Cup: FFT President Gilles Moretton confirms that France is a candidate to host meetings in September
