2014 Davis Cup final preview: Switzerland seeks 1st title vs. France

Switzerland and France will meet in the final of the 2014 Davis Cup, beginning Friday on the indoor clay courts of Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France. The best-of-five final round will be spread over three days through Sunday afternoon.

Roger Federer leads Switzerland, looking for its first ever David Cup crown. The Swiss also reached the final in 1992, losing to the United States. France has reached the final round in Davis Cup play 18 times, winning nine times, the last coming in 2001.

Federer has 17 career grand slam singles wins, more than any other man in tennis history, and a gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But despite a 48-16 match record in Davis Cup play, including 37-7 in singles, he has yet to be a part of a Davis Cup champion.

“It would be great and it would go down as a big moment in tennis history in Switzerland,” Federer told Douglas Robson of USA Today on Wednesday. “I see it more as something for fans, the Swiss federation, and for the other players on the team rather than something for me necessarily.”

Federer is ranked No. 2 in men’s singles, with Swiss teammate Stan Wawrinka at No. 4. The top-heavy Switzerland squad, which also includes Marco Chiudinelli (No. 212 singles, No. 206 doubles) and Michael Lammer (No. 508 singles, No. 28 doubles), is favored over France, with 10/13 odds to win per Bovada.

France will rely on a deep squad of talented players, with No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 19 Gael Monfils, No. 25 Julien Benneteau and No. 26 Richard Gasquet. Federer beat Tsonga in the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2014.

Switzerland beat Italy, 3-2, in the semifinal round in September at home in Geneva, while France dispatched the Czech Republic, 4-1, at Roland Garros. This is the 13th all-time Davis Cup meeting between Switzerland and France, with the French winning 10 of the previous 12 encounters.

The final round starts Friday morning at 8 a.m. ET on Tennis Channel, with two matches on the first day. Saturday coverage begins at 9:30 a.m., which Match No. 3, followed by the final two matches on Sunday, beginning bright and early at 7 a.m.