France Davis Cup captain Grosjean: “It would be great if we could return to home and away ties”

The former world No 4 said travelling to play teams on their own soil was one of the best things about the old Davis Cup

Sebastien GROSJEAN porte par ses coequipiers – Tennis – 1/2 Finale de la Coupe Davis – France /USA- 22.09.2002 – largeur attitude joie entraineur coach Mathieu Llodra Forget Santoro

Simon Cambers

October 25, 2021

France’s Davis Cup captain Sebastien Grosjean says he misses the old home and away format in Davis Cup.

Grosjean, part of France’s Davis Cup winning team in 2001, named his team for the forthcoming finals, with Richard Gasquet, Pierre-Hugues Humbert, Ugo Humbert, Nicolas Mahut and Arthur Rinderknech completing the line-up.

Sébastien Grosjean, 2019 — France’s team captain Sebastien Grosjean applauds teammate Benoit Paire during the Davis Cup tennis match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

France will play Great Britain and the Czech Republic in the revamped format next month, with the winners of the group going through to the quarter-finals, the entire event played out within the course of a week.

Grosjean said France will give their all but the former world No 4 longs for the old format of the famous team competition.

“It’s the formula, we’re going to play it and continue to represent the French team as best we can,” he said. “But if, in the future, it were possible to return to the “home and away” formula, it would be great.

“I’m the captain, I don’t make any decisions about the system. But to have experienced these atmospheres, it’s very special to go to Austria, especially as there are people absent.” (Dominic Thiem will not be playing for the hosts).