An opponent who rekindles bad memories, an atypical surface and two leaders to the infirmary: the French Davis Cup team does not approach in the best conditions its trip to Croatia, where a place in the “final 8” of competition will be played on Friday and Saturday.
If it had been acquired for a while that the French n ° 1 Arthur son (23rd in the world), embarrassed by a persistent injury on the back, would not be on the trip to Osijek, a new import package was formalized on Monday by the French Tennis Federation (FFT).
Also injured on the back, Ugo Humbert (24th) disappeared from the tricolor selection, of which he was the leader in the first list unveiled in mid-August by Captain Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Giovanni Mpeshi Perricard (36th) and Corentin Moutet (39th) therefore joined the eighth-de-finalist of the US Open Arthurknech (57th), Benjamin Bonzi (45th) and the double Pierre-Hughes Herbert in the French team on Monday.
Having reached the best ranking of his career after having beat several players in the Top 10 and reached the final of the Mallorca tournament in June (Gazon), Moutet honors his first selection at 26 years in the blue jersey. The bizut had to engage in a small rap service in front of his teammates for the occasion. Moutet will also have to respond present racket in hand: he was aligned for two single games, Friday against Dino Prizmic and Saturday against Marin Cilic.
Indoor clay
After years of tense relations with the FFT, the unpredictable left -handed could well be the best asset of the Blues in view of the surface on which this second qualifying round will be competed for the final phase at eight teams of the Davis Cup.
Croatian match draw ⚡️ France in Davis cup 💚
🗓️ Friday September 12 – 4 p.m.
🇫🇷 Mouts 🆚 Prizic 🇭🇷
🇫🇷 Rinderknech 🆚 Cilic 🇭🇷🗓️ Saturday September 13 – 1 p.m.
🇫🇷 Bonzi/Herbert 🆚 Pavic/Mektic 🇭🇷
🇫🇷 Moutet 🆚 Cilic 🇭🇷
🇫🇷 Rinderknech 🆚 Prizmic 🇭🇷Your predictions? 👀 pic.twitter.com/l0lpHQQvjx
– Tennis universe 🎾 (@universetennis) September 11, 2025
In the middle of the season on hard, the Blues will indeed have to adapt to an unusual surface, indoor clay. “I think it was the best choice to make for” the Croats, said Benjamin Bonzi on the sidelines of the US Open, of which he reached the third round.
“Changing the surface for so shortly, it’s never simple but it will be the same for them,” nuance the 29-year-old Frenchman, already present in the tricolor selection that defeated Brazil 4-0 on Hard in Orleans, in February in the first round of qualifying.
It was already on indoor clay that the last, memorable duel had played between France and Croatia: in 2018, Marin Cilic and his teammates had beaten the supporters of the Bleus title on their lands in Lille, in the Davis Cup final.
“The two teams have their chances”
At 36, the 2014 US Open winner will still be there in Osijek. In addition to Cilic (60th), the ex-NN.1 Worlds in double Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic were selected by Captain Ivan Dodig, as are young Dino Prizmic (119th at 20 years) and Matej Dodig (258th at 20 years).
Since the change in the Davis Cup format in 2019, France, tenfold winners of the competition, has never succeeded in qualifying for the “Final 8”, which will bring together in November in Bologna the seven teams having survived in the second round of qualifications and the Italian reigning double champions.
“On paper, I think the meeting is quite balanced,” says Benjamin Bonzi. “They have a very good pair of doubles, simple players who can be dangerous. The two teams have their chance, ”said the Frenchman, who returned to three places in the best ranking of his career in the last ATP ranking published on Monday.
“It will be an inevitably delicate meeting, played on a surface on which we will not have much time to adapt to us,” adds Paul-Henri Mathieu, quoted in a press release from the FFT.
“We will have to do the best possible with the few days of preparation at our disposal. We will give the maximum to seek victory, ”concluded Captain Bleu.
