Davis Cup Preview: France vs. Italy
The defending French team has a lot to prove this year. For the quarterfinals they will head to Genoa, Italy in April for their first tie on Italian soil since 1977. However, despite being tied with 5 wins each in their last 10 encounters, France has not beaten Italy on their home turf since 1924. On the flip side, Italy is trying to get into the semifinals for only the second time since 1998.
Here are the players that will face off on outdoor clay courts this weekend:
Fabio Fognini
Age: 30
Ranking: No. 18 (Doubles No. 93)
Davis Cup Record: 20-7 singles, 7-4 doubles
Season Highlight: Winning the Sao Paulo Open
Paolo Lorenzi
Age: 36
Ranking: No. 57 (Doubles No. 88)
Davis Cup Record: 5-4 singles, 0-1 doubles
Season Highlight: Qualifying for the Australian Open
Andreas Seppi
Age: No. 34
Ranking: No. 62 (Doubles No. 223)
Davis Cup Record: 18-18 singles, 4-2 doubles
Season Highlight: Round of 16 at the Australian Open
Matteo Berrettini
Age: 22
Ranking: No. 104 (Doubles No. 456)
Davis Cup Record: First appearance
Season Highlight: Winning the Trofeo Perrel Challenger title
Simone Bolelli
Age: 32
Ranking: No. 165 (Doubles No. 229)
Davis Cup Record: 7-9 singles, 12-4 doubles
Season Highlight: Finalist at the Punta del Este Challenger
Lucas Pouille
Age: 24
Ranking: No. 11 (Doubles, No. 125
Davis Cup Record: 4-3 singles, 0-0 doubles
Season Highlight: Winning the Open Sud de France title
Adrian Mannarino
Age: 29
Ranking: No. 25 (Doubles, No. 232)
Davis Cup Record: 1-1 singles, 0-0 doubles
Season Highlight: Round of 32 at the Australian Open
Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Age: 27
Ranking: No. 79 (Doubles, No. 13)
Davis Cup Record: 0-1 singles, 5-1 doubles
Season Highlight: Round of 16 at Indian Wells
Jeremy Chardy
Age: 31
Ranking: No. 80 (Doubles, No. 106)
Davis Cup Record: 5-0 singles, 0-0 doubles
Season Highlight: Round of 16 at the Miami Open
Nicholas Mahut
Age: 36
Ranking: No. 112 (Doubles, No. 7)
Davis Cup Record: 1-1 singles, 6-2 doubles
Season Highlight: Quarterfinals at Open 13 Provence