The first singles match of the Davis Cup finals begins on Friday at 2 pm, which is the same time the doubles kick off on Saturday.
Borna Ćorić and Jeremy Chardy will open the Davis Cup finals at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France on Friday, where a draw for the upcoming duel was held on Thursday. With a new format for the competition next year, this is the last Davis Cup as we’ve known it through its 118-year history, reports Gol.hr on November 22, 2018.
France coach Yannick Noah decided to leave out the best ranked French tennis player on the team, Lucas Pouille, and replace him with Jeremy Chardy, whose name was drawn out of the Cup the winners would raise this weekend.
“So far we have played three times, twice lost and I know how dangerous he is. The odds are 50-50. For the past two months I have played my best tennis, and I want to play well in Lille. Anyway, I'm playing first - in the semifinals in Zadar I also played the first match, and I hope the outcome will be the same,” Borna Ćorić said about opening the finals against Chardy.
“For me it is no surprise, Noah is an experienced coach, always offering an ace from his sleeve. This weekend it is Chardy, who was obviously playing well during the preparations. One of the reasons for his nomination may be the fact that Borna recently defeated Pouille. However, it was in three sets - but in the second and third, Borna was quite convincing. Of course, that does not mean that Noah will not make any changes for Sunday and nominate Pouille,” said Croatia coach Željko Krajan about the change.
The first singles match begins on Friday at 2 pm, which is the same time the doubles will kick off on Saturday. On Sunday, the program for singles will begin at 1 pm.
“I still expected to play Pouille and Tsonga, but Noah certainly has his reasons for making this decision. In any case, Borna and I have been well prepared and we will be ready for the first matches. As for my encounter with Tsonga, he and I have been through a lot of difficult encounters for years. I know what to expect, I've played against him quite a few times and have achieved a lot of wins. I do not know what to say about the French statement that we are favorites. The fact is that at home tournaments, they regularly play their best tennis and they will have a stadium full of their fans. Each match will be difficult and quite open. Certainly, we have a good chance of winning, but we have to prove it on the court,” concluded Marin Čilić, who has played Tsonga seven times and achieved five victories.
In their 19th final in the Davis Cup's 118-year history, France will try to defend their title and win for the 11th time.
The United States currently has won the most titles (32), followed by Australia (28). Great Britain and France are both in third with 10 titles won and 8 runners-up titles.
Croatia will play their third Davis Cup final in Lille and hunt their second title after the unforgettable triumph in Bratislava in 2005.
Schedule for the Davis Cup finals
Friday 23. November (2 pm)
Jeremy Chardy – Borna Ćorić
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Marin Čilić
Saturday, 24. November (2 pm)
Pierre-Hugues Herbert / Nicolas Mahut – Ivan Dodig / Mate Pavić
Sunday, 25. November (1 pm)
Jeremy Chardy – Marin Čilić
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Borna Ćorić
To read more about Croatia's run in the Davis Cup this season, follow TCN's dedicated page here.
