The Stat Sheet: France's unique underdog status

Facing Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Borna Coric in singles has been a daunting task for any nation this year in Davis Cup competition.

Defending champion France will find this weekend’s final has its own set of unique challenges.

For the first time this millennium, the host nation in the finals of the international team event won’t roll out at least one current member of the top 30 in singles. The 10-time champion has world No. 32 Lucas Pouille, No. 42 Jeremy Chardy and No. 259 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in its lineup. Chardy and Tsonga have been drawn against No. 7 Cilic and No. 12 Coric, who’ve both impressed all year long and were in London last week for the ATP Finals.

It’s a somewhat surprising statistic given France’s depth as a whole for the better part of the last decade, with multiple players making the top 10 at some point, such as the veterans Gael Monfils, Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet. Pouille, only 24, joined them earlier this year when he reached his career high of 10.

However, just a few weeks ago, the country hit a rather ignominious milestone: For the first time in 12 years, no Frenchmen were ranked in the ATP’s top 20. Currently, Gasquet, Monfils and Simon are at 26, 29 and 30, respectively, but none of the three are available for the Davis Cup final.

Chardy, who’s enjoyed a solid season this year as he’s worked his way back into the top 50, will open up play against Coric, with Tsonga—returning from injury—set to face Cilic.

Captain Yannick Noah has Pouille, the top player rankings-wise on the squad, in reserve. Last year, Pouille clinched the title for France in a live fifth rubber against Belgium.

And Noah’s been in the underground role before at home, most famously in 1991, when he called upon a bruised and battered Henri Leconte—near the end of his career—to spearhead a stunning upset over the heavily favored American team. He could be counting on Tsonga to play a similarly inspired brand of tennis.

Or, in other words, Noah might have Croatia right where he wants them.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias