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The Davis Cup final ...

9K views 258 replies 9 participants last post by  Lindsayfan 
#1 ·
Will be played on clay in Paris Bercy :)

I think clay is a good surface for the French players:)

Do you think Santoro will play the singles because he has a good record against Safin ??? ... i don't know :confused:
 
#127 ·
Has anyone else being having troubles getingt into atpworld or is it just me??

No hehe I think arnaud is a very ‘kissy’ person…like 2 seconds after this pic was taken, he pretended to kiss Seb!! And Seb couldn’t stop grinning!! Lol soooo cute!

They’re played best of 5 yesterday and today?? Omg that’s gotta kill them?! Mathieu and Grosjean have been training a lot together…not good sign for arnaud?? L I hope I’m just reading too much into it. GUY makes his ‘final’ decision tonite if he’s 100% sure, or he’ll make it tomorrow (Wednesday). Imagine how nervous arnaud would be!! I mean really he’d be the most nervous out of all of them coz the speculation is on his mainly. hehe how did u know they were playign cards in their hotel?! they tell the media EVERY detail dont they?!!!!!!!!

how do you put the pic in between writing?
 
#129 ·
esther,u can know everything they did if u go to www.fft.fr site or www.lequipe.fr and u read all the interviews are there!Guy also said what they r eating! ;)
i'm really worried for arnaud...Guy said "if i decide to let arnaud out again,he'll be very upset.but i cant watch to personal feelings,i have to choise who is likely to beat the russians" :sad:
 
#130 · (Edited)
Guy said that Mathieu didnt find yet his best tennis,and he had some lacks during the training.but after that,Paulo played against Arnaud and beat him 6-4 6-2.Arnaud was a bit injured at his right wrist :eek: Guy must be very confused now... :confused:


the 2 contenders!

 
#132 ·
here a song the supporters sang at Roland Garros during DC semifinal!

Si vous voulez gagner,
Jouez comme des guerriers,
Faites les trembler,
Soyez sans pitié
YE,YE,YE,
YE,YE,YE.

:D :D
 
#133 ·
Too bad I won't be able to go online on the next few days cuz I'll be off on holiday. Another bad thing is that they don't have the DC matches in US. I bet France get a lot of coverage and I'm so jealous of them!:mad:
Another thing is that I'm so so so worried for Arnaud! :( OMG I'd be the worst decision Forget can make if he DOESN'T let him play! :eek: Only if Arnaud can proof to him that his wrist wouldn't matter and he can play five sets if he has to! Besides, as one of u stated here, Mathieu is not 100% fit either so that tells sth! :sad:
Samantha
 
#134 ·
French team trains at venue of Davis Cup final

Mon Nov 25,12:55 PM ET

PARIS - France's Davis Cup team began training Monday on the indoor clay courts to be used in the final against Russia later this week.

"It's a delight to play on these courts," French captain Guy Forget said at the Bercy indoor stadium. "It would be hard to do better."

France will attempt to win back-to-back Davis Cup titles for the first time since 1932 when it plays Russia Nov. 29-Dec. 1.

Sebastien Grosjean, Arnaud Clement, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Fabrice Santoro and Nicolas Escude, who make up the French team, trained at Bercy for the first time Monday. They spent last week training in the west coast resort of Royan.

"The players got better and better," Forget said. "Now, we have three crucial days to reassure ourselves that everyone can play his best tennis."

Grosjean, France's highest-ranked player, is almost certain to play singles, while Escude and Santoro are widely expected to be picked for the doubles.

It's unclear who Forget will name to be the second singles player. He has until one hour before Thursday's draw at 11:00 GMT to decide.

"I have a small idea of what I'm going to do," Forget said. "But between now and Thursday things can happen. In any case, all the players are capable of playing and being on top."

In Monday training, Mathieu looked on form as he beat Escude in two sets.

The Russian team is led by world No. 3 Marat Safin and former French and Australian Open (news - web sites) champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Russia reached the final in 1994 and 1995 but has never won the event.

France is unbeaten in eight Davis Cup ties stretching back more than two years and has already won nine titles in the competition. The United States is the most successful nation in the event with 31 titles.

----------------------------------------------------


Forget keeps cards close to his chest

Posted on Monday, November 25, 2002 - 23:54

France Davis Cup captain Guy Forget kept his cards close to his chest on Monday but the signs are there will be no major surprises in Thursday's announcement of the final line-up to face Russia.

Forget, speaking in a press conference at the Bercy stadium which hosts the Friday to Sunday final, would only say: "If I'm sure of the line-up, I will announce it on Tuesday night (instead of Wednesday)."

Most observers believe Sebastien Grosjean and Arnaud Clement will play the singles, on Friday at least, and Fabrice Santoro and Nicolas Escude will play the doubles.

This would mean Forget will have resisted the temptation to field Santoro, who has beaten Russia's number one Marat Safin six times in seven meetings, in the Friday singles. The 20-year-old Paul-Henri Mathieu looks set to be a replacement.

Government security services were at Bercy on Monday, indicating French president Jacques Chirac may be present on one of the days.

Russia's former president Boris Yeltsin, a good friend of Russia's captain Shamil Tharpischev, is expected to arrive in the French capital on Thursday.

Both teams trained at Bercy on Monday and Tharpischev said the chances of either side winning was 50/50 despite the fact that the French have laid a special indoor clay surface.

"Both teams have an equal chance of winning, though France do have home advantage and were able to choose the playing surface," Tharpischev said.

"France are very strong however and are playing on their favourite surface, clay."

----------------------------------------------------


French Confiscate Goods from Russian Team Doctor

Tue November 26, 2002 07:31 AM ET

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Davis Cup team doctor has accused French customs officials of confiscating all his medical supplies upon arrival in Paris Sunday.
"I don't know why, but customs confiscated all of my medical supplies, down to the very last pill," Valery Okhapkin was quoted as saying in Tuesday's Sport-Express newspaper.

The Russian team, including Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, arrived in the French capital Sunday evening from Monte Carlo, where they had been making final preparations for the Davis Cup final against France. The five-day tie begins at Bercy sports hall Friday.

"I showed them an official letter from the Russian Olympic Committee which stated that I'm not carrying any (forbidden) drugs, narcotics, anabolic steroids or any other criminal staff," Okhapkin said.

"But they just told us they don't understand Russian, held me up for 2 1/2 hours, wrote thousands of reports and, in the end, confiscated all my medical supplies.

"They told us that we now have to translate everything into French and ask French tennis officials to act on our behalf."

The French are meticulous in pursuing all issues related to performance-enhancing drugs following a doping scandal in the 1998 Tour de France.

This year, French officials arrested the wife of Lithuanian rider Raimondas Rumsas after they found a large quantity of doping substances in her car at the border.

----------------------------------------------------


France delay naming team


France captain Guy Forget will not name his team to face Russia in the Davis Cup final until the draw is made on Thursday.
The French team comprises Sebastien Grosjean, Arnaud Clement, Nicolas Escude, Fabrice Santoro and Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Grosjean, his country's number one, seems certain to take one of the singles berths while Clement or Mathieu look likely to fill the other when the final begins on Friday.

Escude and Santoro are expected to compete in the doubles.

"I have a small idea of what I'm going to do," Forget said.

"But between now and Thursday things can happen. In any case, all the players are capable of playing and being on top."

Forget has until 1100 GMT on Thursday when the draw is made to name his line-up.

France, the defending champions, began training on the indoor clay surface at the Paris-Bercy stadium on Monday after spending the previous week in the west coast resort of Royan.

Mathieu in form

In Monday's training, Mathieu, who won two titles in October, looked in fine form as he beat Escude in straight sets.

"The players got better and better," Forget said.

"Now, we have three crucial days to reassure ourselves that everyone can play his best tennis."

The Russian team is led by world number three Marat Safin and former French and Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Russia reached the final in 1994 and 1995 but have never won the event.

France are unbeaten in eight Davis Cup ties stretching back more than two years and have won the event nine times.
 
#135 ·
vale: hmm yeah i usually check fft, eurosport, sport 24 and yahoo.fr but i didn't read what they were eating and the cards thing and by the time i read them i've usually already heard about them from you!!

awwwwww GUY YOU HAVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TO PIC ARNAUD!!!!!!!!! *cries* not good news about his wrist and how it gave him so much trouble against Paulo…didn’t they play each other on Friday and arnaud beat him?? :confused:
i'm going to be really nervous until thursdays draw...omg its tomorrow...i guess guy has already pretty much made up his mind tho.
 
#136 ·
Notre préparation n’a rien à voir avec celle que nous avions effectuée à Melbourne. En ce qui me concerne, je suis moins nerveux et je ne raisonne pas par rapport à une éventuelle sélection. Quoi qu’il arrive, nous nous préparons à offrir à Guy le plus grand choix de joueurs pour cette finale», a déclaré Arnaud Clément.

my brave arnaud :(
 
#137 ·
I couldn't get in here yesterday, either :(
Here's a pic of Momo and Guy :)

 
#138 ·
i'm so nervous,i cant study...pls Guy pick Arnaud!!! :sad:
nothing against Paulo,i love him a lot but Arnaud deserves to play this final...and Paulo is so young,he'll have other chances.
 
#140 ·
I was just going to post the same pix!! :D

I'm worrying, first Seb complained a little bit about his thigh on Monday, then Arnaud and his wrist... They have been bothered by these injuries for so long, and I thought after the holidays they've just had, they would be fine. Hopefully they can get rid of these problems before next year.

I'm sure that if PHM is selected, he'll do great, but I'd rather see Nono playing...

Have you seen the interview (in 4 parts) of Guy on lequipe.fr? :cool:
 
#143 ·
I hope that Mathieu wasn't practising cuz he's not gonna be in the official team.....Arnaud please play! BTW, what interview were u guyz talking about? :confused: It's too bad that I won't be able to go online just when DC is gonna start cuz I'll be on holiday. :fiery: Plus the US is not really showing any coverage so I'm extra mad. :fiery: If anyone has news of coverage please post a reply asap cuz I'll be leaving for holiday very very soon.....:bounce:

Happy Thanksgiving for Americans
Samantha ;)
 
#144 ·
:mad: I'm so nervous!


obviously they are not as nervous as I am:)

 
#145 ·
posted by french girl on another site:

Journalist: Guy is about to announce his selection, your heart is beating quickly, i imagine??

AC : yes and no, the selection.... i just hope that everybody is going to be ready and there are not going to have problems, just that we are going to be good. Then, we all really respect Guy's choices, we have an absolute confidence with him and his choices, but that's true that one of us is going to be disappointed but we'll accept it.

journalist: Last year, it was a real heartache ( in frenc we have this expression : "coup de bambou" but i don't know the english equivalent) for you in Melbourne??

AC: Not really a " coupe de bambou" ( shock), it was a deception because i has played the 3 previous rounds so it was hard not to play the final but i was aware that the choices of Nico and seb and the doubles were logical, i wasn't angry with anybody but only with myself. It's always a difficult situation but Davis Cup is a Team competition so that's normal that Guy think only about the Team.
 
#146 ·
marilyn- so it wasn't just me!!!!!! (not being allowed in)

I think we’re ALL more nervous than they are! mathieu wasn't training????????????? and and at that point guy probably had made his decision...ooh interesting...they are look so happy--where is that press conference like is it transcribed newhere? maybe i'll go look. ohhhh theres like 3 hours before the draw, but the players already know neway dont they?
i'm so so so so nervous...i have a feeling that arnaud is gonna play but maybe its just wishful thinking..? PLEASE PICK ARNAUD!
 
#147 ·
samantha- have a great trip!!!
tryphon- thing is, they had those same injuries before the semi against the US remember? and it didn't seem to bother them too much, but yeah it could be different now but i really hope it doesnt effect their games too much...?
vale- where does it say we can follow it live on lequipe?
 
#148 ·
Decision Day for Forget

Wednesday is the day that French Captain Guy Forget will finally choose the four men who will defend the Davis Cup title, and although his players will know then, he is unlikely to make his decision public before the Draw at the Hotel de Ville on Thursday.

Although France has already nominated Arnaud Clement, Sebastien Grosjean, Nicolas Escude and Fabrice Santoro, substitutions can still be made up to one hour before the Draw. Perhaps significantly, rising star Paul-Henri Mathieu has been very much in evidence at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy this week, appearing in front of the press with his countrymen and practising on the specially-laid indoor clay court.

“If I have to play I’m ready, although everyone wants to play”, said the 20-year-old, who made such an impact on the tour this autumn with back-to-back title wins in Moscow and Lyon. Since that last victory however he has been sidelined with an abdominal injury, but says “since Sunday I’ve felt 100 per cent”.

If Forget has consulted the record books in making his decision he will know that players making their singles debut in the Davis Cup Final have not fared well in the past. Only once in five occasions has a man won his debut match when it has been in a Final: John McEnroe, who had previously played doubles, defeated Great Britain’s John Lloyd to help the United States to a 4-1 victory in 1978.

The most recent failure of a Final debutant must be burned into Forget’s memory forever – in Lyon in 1991, newcomer Pete Sampras slumped to Henri Leconte in the second singles, before Forget himself defeated the young American to claim a 3-1 victory for France.

Mathieu himself however remains hopeful and unperturbed by history.

“The fact that this is a final doesn’t change anything. I think I’ve proved that I can rise to the big occasions.”

Should any of the nominated players be replaced by Mathieu, it seems likely that Arnaud Clement will be the casualty, as he was in the 2001 Final in Melbourne when his place was taken by the recently-retired Cedric Pioline. Pioline and Fabrice Santoro, of course, went on to score a famous doubles victory against the illustrious partnership of Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter.

“Guy knows me well. It’s not with words that I’ll convince him, but on the court, by the quality of my tennis, by my commitment to training,” says Clement.

“The desire shows in practice and not just during official matches. I try to give my all during practice, to show the best of myself. The most important thing is not to play, but if you play, to be the best.”

The formidable ‘esprit d’équipe’ of Forget’s players helps them to accept the situation, but there was no denying Clement’s disappointment a year ago and if he is left on the bench again it will surely be sharper this time round. Isn’t he feeling the pressure?

“I don’t think so. If I’m not selected, the disappointment will certainly be greater than if it hadn’t happened last year. But I don’t think I’m approaching the final more nervous than last year. It’s actually the opposite. I’m more calm… even if it isn’t true calm.”

There is less speculation about Nicolas Escude’s place in the team. The star of the 2001 final may not have a game suited to the clay court, but the serve-volleyer is seen at least as a contender for a doubles spot alongside Santoro. The pair won the title at Bercy four weeks ago in their second tournament together and their success has added a new doubles dimension to a team already bursting with possibilities.

The wait for names will be over when the Draw starts at 12noon on Thursday.
 
#149 ·
esther,if u go to www.lequipe.fr in the section of Coupe Davis,u'll see a part where it says "dont forget to follow the draw on l'equipe.fr" so i think they r going to show it LIVE,maybe with Real Player or Windows Media Player.btw i get france 2,so if they show the draw on tv i'll post here!
it would be great to meet each other on Msn messenger around 11;30 CET to follow together the draw!!
 
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