France, US to play at Roland Garros in Davis Cup semis
April 12, 2002
Defending champion France will play the United States on the red clay of Roland Garros, the home of the French Open, in their semifinal tie of the Davis Cup, Sept. 20-22.
"Playing the United States on clay, it's a strategic choice," Christian Bimes, the president of the French Tennis Federation, said Friday after announcing the location of the tie.
American players are traditionally weaker on clay, which is slow, while most French players grow up playing on the surface.
"Pete Sampras will ask himself many questions before this meeting," Bimes told a news conference.
Sampras has a men's record 13 Grand Slam titles but has never advanced past the semifinals at the French Open. Last year he exited in the second round.
However, France's Nicolas Escude also has a poor record on the surface. He clinched the Davis Cup title for France in last year's final against Australia, but was dropped for this year's first-round tie against the Netherlands because it was played on clay.
"It's the greatest meeting possible and imaginable," Bimes said of the semifinal against the U.S.
He said he thought Andre Agassi, who won the French Open in 1999, would be tempted to play in the tie because "a meeting like that can't be missed."
Agassi didn't play in the Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against Spain, which the U.S. won 3-1. The fifth match was canceled because of rain.
The last encounter between France and the U.S. at Roland Garros was in the final in 1932, when France won 3-2. France hasn't played there since 1982, when it defeated the Czech Republic in a quarterfinal tie.
Bimes said he didn't think the sometimes wet and windy fall weather would hinder play, adding that there are enough dry days at that time of year for the matches to take place.
There are no covered courts at Roland Garros but in case of bad weather the three-day event can be extended by two days.
Bimes said he has asked Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe to provide covers for practice courts. But French federation spokesman Christophe Proust said it was 'too complicated" to cover the 15,000-seat Central Court because of its size.
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