Shrugs off Monfils' Guadeloupe Davis Cup blast

French Davis Cup captain Yannick Noah said he is not going to worry about the critical comments made by Gael Monfils regarding the decision to play their opening World Group tie against Canada in Guadeloupe.
After his Australian Open quarter-final defeat to Canadian Milos Raonic on Wednesday, Monfils questioned why the players had to travel to the Caribbean for the March 4-6 tie.

The journey from Paris to Guadeloupe and back is over 13,000 kilometres.

Noah, 55, who led France to their first Davis Cup title in 59 years in 1991, would prefer to focus on the task at hand and thinks that the choice of venue, which he pushed for, is a good one.

"We decided to play on clay for technical reasons. We are going there to try and win," he said.

"After that comes the moods of each other, on the court and off it. To go and play in Guadeloupe, for me, is fantastic.

"People who do not say this is great do not understand. I do not understand the problem."

Monfils, whose father is from Guadeloupe, kicked off the dispute by saying: "With great honesty, we are not all necessarily happy to be going to Guadeloupe."

The 29-year-old even claimed that "80% of players initially did not want to play".

The world number 25 did, however, reiterate his support for Noah.

"He is the captain, he decides and we follow. I want to play for France, and for the shirt, and I will make the effort to go."

French sports minister Thierry Braillard also weighed into the controversy.

"When someone challenges the decision of the coach, even if it is just about the venue for a game, then that shows a lack of respect," he said.

Noah, the 1983 French Open champion, has an excellent record in charge of French teams.

He backed up the shock win over the United States 25 years ago with another triumph in 1996, before leading the women's Fed Cup squad to their maiden title in 1997.

He returned to the Davis Cup hotseat after Arnaud Clement stepped down following a quarter-final defeat to eventual victors Great Britain last year.

Noah's win at Roland Garros remains the last time a home player won the men's singles title, although there were high hopes that Monfils would be the man to end the drought when he reached the semi-finals in 2008.

That potential has never really turned into substantial success however, and the loss to Raonic means that Monfils is yet to return to the last four of a major tournament.
Source: AFP