ROGER FEDERER APPARENTLY GOOD TO GO FOR DAVIS CUP FINAL BETWEEN FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND BY RICKY DIMON

Five days after withdrawing from the World Tour Finals championship match against Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer is expected to be back in action when the Davis Cup final between Switzerland and France begins on Friday. Federer, who was forced to pull out before facing Djokovic because of a back injury, is scheduled to battle Gael Monfils in the second singles rubber following Stan Wawrinka vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

 

Both teams have something to their hats on heading into the last meaningful weekend of tennis in 2014. Switzerland, of course, boasts the top talent. Federer and Wawrinka are ranked in the top four of the world and are coming off successful treks through World Tour Finals round-robin action. France may not feature any player in the top 10, but it has home-court advantage on the clay of Lille.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are question marks for each side, as well. In addition to Federer’s physical issues, Switzerland’s two singles stars may still be trying to get over an alleged lock-room incident following their head-to-head semifinal showdown at the O2. For France, rust could be a factor. Tsonga has played only six matches since the U.S. Open, while Monfils has played just seven.

Let’s take a quick look at Friday’s singles rubbers:

 

Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

 

Wawrinka and Tsonga will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers. The head-to-head series stands at 3-2 in favor of Wawrinka, who is 2-1 against Tsonga on clay. They faced each other in successive years at the French Open (2011 and 2012), with Wawrinka winning in five sets before Tsonga exacted revenge–also in five. The two competitors most recently collided last spring on the clay courts of Madrid, where the Swiss prevailed 6-2, 6-7(9), 6-4.

 

Tsonga will have the benefit of playing amidst a raucous atmosphere provided by his own French fans, a situation that should suit him perfectly. However, the world No. 12 has endured a mostly disappointing season that took another downward turn after a stunning run to the Canada Masters title. He is a mere 3-3 since the U.S. Open. Wawrinka, the Australian Open champion, slumped throughout much of the fall before reaching the World Tour Finals semis and testing Federer in a three-set thriller that was eventually won by the world No. 2 after Wawrinka squandered four match points.

 

Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Gael Monfils (FRA)

 

Federer practiced lightly on Wednesday and reportedly came away encouraged, as did Swiss captain Severin Luthi. When healthy, the 33-year-old has been outstanding this fall. He triumphed in Shanghai and Basel before reaching the London semifinals without dropping a set, a run that included a 6-0, 6-1 destruction of Andy Murray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whereas Federer is battle-tested (especially by virtue of his 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) win over Wawrinka), Monfils played only two tournaments following the U.S. Open (Metz semis, Paris third round). It was in New York where his most memorable match of the year took place–against none other than Federer. Monfils led by two sets and even had two match points in the fourth only to see his opponent survive 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. This time around, of course, the world No. 19 will have the crowd on his side and will undoubtedly thrive in this kind of electric setting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Atp, Davis Cup, Federer, France, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Switzerland, Tennis

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