Davis Cup Final 2014: Format, Rules, Players and France vs. Switzerland Schedule
The most prestigious international tennis team event takes place between November 21-23 as France battle Switzerland in the sport's version of the World Cup—The 2014 Davis Cup final.
The event takes place at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, giving the French home-court advantage on their favoured red-clay surface.
Leading the charge for the French is the explosive Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who is currently ranked 12th in the world, per DavisCup.com. Joining him in his team is Gael Monfils, Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet—forming a collective who all rank in the world top 30.
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The Swiss charge is forwarded by Grand Slam legend Roger Federer and his national rival—world no. 4 Stan Wawrinka.
Completing the line-up are the little-known quantities of Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer— No. 212 and 508 in the world respectively.
Here, we take a look at the schedule, format and rules of the final as well as a focus on some of the players:
Schedule, Format and Rules:
| Day 1 | 1 p.m. | 8 a.m. |
| Day 2 | 2.30 p.m. | 9.30 a.m. |
| Day 3 | 12 p.m. | 7 a.m. |
(Match times to be confirmed.)
The final takes place over three days with two teams of four facing off against each other in a series of five matches.
Four singles matches are played and one doubles match to determine who the winner is. The team with the most victories is crowned as world champions.
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka
The rivalry between Switzerland's two best players has reached fever pitch after their clash at the ATP World semi-finals where tensions between the two sportsmen was clearly strained.
Wawrinka is a Grand Slam title winner in his own right but while Federer is still in town, he will always be relegated down the order in terms of interest and importance.
However, in the Swiss team's David Cup Final press conference, Federer claimed that all was well between him and his national rival and that they are certainly still friends, fighting towards a common goal, as highlighted by the Davis Cup's Twitter feed:
Indeed, Federer and Wawrinka may be on the same page in terms of trying to win the Davis Cup but significantly this is the one major title that the legendary Federer has never won.
But Federer has played down this aspect going into the weekend's three-day event, and he has almost rubbished the tournament in the context of his ambitions.
Douglas Robson of USA Today quoted Federer as playing down his chances in Lille:
"Davis Cup is not what it used to be anymore in my opinion. It would be great and it would go down as a big moment in tennis history in Switzerland. I see it more as something for fans, the Swiss federation, and for the other players on the team rather than something for me necessarily.
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The comments are strange from the great man but in many ways he is being brutally honest. The Davis Cup is rarely in the mind of top tennis players who generally compete in singles action, chasing the world's top titles.
Fellow professional and doubles specialist, Mike Bryan, agreed with Federer on his stance when asked if a win for Switzerland would bolster the legend's standing, per Robson:
"I wish it would. But I don't think it will. It hasn't really changed how people view Novak's career or Rafa's. You're just measured by your Slams."
Wawrinka is one of the best players on the planet and he need not feel intimidated by Federer, especially in a team event. But the flame will eventually pass to him as the former World No. 1 edges closer to retirement.
But for Wawrinka—he may just need to show a little patience before it does.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
The power and aggression of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has become his calling card in recent times but he will be hoping to channel his might into France's bid to become Davis Cup winners for a 10th time.
Tsonga's team is star-studded and surely the favourites, despite the presence of Federer and Wawrinka—both embroiled in their own little competitive spat.
And Tsonga has said he is ignoring the very public troubles of the Swiss and concentrating on his bid to become a world champion, per Marianna Bevis of The Sport Review:
"Well, I didn’t read about all this, about what happened during the week. I don’t really know. I don’t really want to know either. The important thing for us is to stay focused on ourselves, on our team. What we need is to have a perfect performance. What we can do is just play tennis. Anything else is not really our business.
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Tsonga can at times lose his focus and attention—but he seems adamant on this occasion to get the job done on the red-clay courts of home.
And with Federer struggling with fitness, a fact which saw him withdraw from the ATP World final, this is the perfect time for Tsonga to take centre stage.
If Federer and Wawrinka can put their differences aside, there is every chance that Switzerland can land their first-ever Davis Cup win. But with turmoil and injuries surrounding the team, it is difficult to see where the intensity to beat the French will come from.
Indeed, Federer is a winner, and on his day Wawrinka can be sensational—but the Swiss have a compromised equilibrium at present and this plays into France's hands.
But the French must be at their best to win and with home-court advantage, they will feel they have a point to prove.
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