Roger Federer loses but Switzerland and France tied in Davis Cup

LILLE, France – Facing an inspired opponent and initially tentative after injuring his back five days ago, Switzerland's Roger Federer was no match for Gael Monfils of France in Friday's Davis Cup final.

But the two European neighbors ended the day locked at 1-1 in front of a record 27,432 crowd after an equally rousing performance from Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"It was extremely important for us and for him, too, and for our spirits," said Federer of Swiss teammate Wawrinka's 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 opening singles defeat of Tsonga. "I just love having that."

The better news for Switzerland, which is seeking a first Davis Cup title compared to France's nine: The 33-year-old Federer emerged looking and feeling more like the player who surged back to near the top of the sport in 2014.

"It wasn't all negative, you know," said Federer, who fell 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 46 minutes to Monfils. "I started to feel better as the match went on. That's very encouraging, I must say."

The 17-time Grand Slam champion admitted to wariness about how his back would respond after pulling out of Sunday's ATP World Tour Finals against Novak Djokovic.

By the end of Friday's contest, he was merely concerned by his lack of rhythm on a surface he had barely seen since early summer.

"The problem became that I didn't play on clay much," said Federer. "That's a good problem for me to have, to be quite honest. It put the back issues on the back burner, which is better this way."

Federer's problem was also Monfils.

The 19th-ranked Frenchman came into the match with a 2-8 record against the second-ranked Swiss, including 0-4 on clay and a five-set loss at this year's U.S. Open when he held a two sets to none lead.

But few players can stoke a crowd like the electric Frenchman. Playing on indoor clay in front of the record Davis Cup audience at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, he rose to the occasion.

Monfils roared out of the gate, enlivened the spectators, and despite a history of mental inconsistency, stuck to his game plan. He never trailed in dispatching Federer.

"After one, two, three games, it's like, I'm on, so now it's all in," said Monfils who broke Federer five times without dropping his own serve.

Monfils called it one of the top-three wins of his career, explaining: "It's a final, it's in France and it's against Roger."

Long in the shadow of his more celebrated countryman, Wawrinka put the Swiss in front with a scintillating display of clay court tennis in the day's first match.

Wawrinka, 29, had few problems adjusting to the surface after last competing on it at the French Open in May.

By contrast, the French team spent a week practicing on clay in the city of Bordeaux while Federer and Wawrinka continued their busy fall schedule, including a tense semifinal on indoor hard courts at last week's ATP finals in London.

In the end, Wawrinka's match preparedness paid dividends. The fourth-ranked Swiss swung more freely and played the big points with more clarity in the 2-hour, 24-minute victory against No. 12 Tsonga.

"I thought I would have more difficulties because I didn't play a lot on clay, and we had less time to prepare on clay than the French team," said Wawrinka. "They were playing on that surface for a long time already. I just went onto the court prepared to do simple things. I think playing as well as I did in the Masters was the best preparation. I was confident. I showed him on the court that I was better than he was."

Tsonga, who suited up for just six matches since a fourth-round exit at the U.S. Open in early September, didn't blame the loss on rust.

"Today he was just better than me, and that's it," he said.

Unlike Monfils, who said he was inspired by the increasingly strident fans, Tsonga groused about the smaller but more vocal Swiss contingent during the introductions and when in one instance he questioned a call.

"I just went to check the mark, and I was booed in my own country," Tsonga said. "Maybe not by the French spectators but by the Swiss spectators. It's annoying."

Wawrinka countered that fans had little to cheer about.

"They didn't have the chance to do something for him," Wawrinka said.

Now the focus shifts to Saturday's doubles.

On Thursday, Switzerland captain Severin Luthi tapped Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer to play against Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet.

But under Davis Cup rules, either captain has the option to change the lineup one hour before the start of the match.

France, which last won the title in 2001, has four players in the top 30 and thus more flexibility. All are more than competent to fill in should French captain Arnaud Clement decide to make a substitution.

Federer, too, said he would make himself available for doubles if he's fit to play.

He and Wawrinka won the 2008 Olympic doubles gold medal but their partnership in Davis Cup has been less successful of late. They have dropped last four matches.

Federer deflected questions about his chances to win one of the few missing pieces of his tennis life.

"The question is not my personal career here," he said. "It's a team event, and I'm very happy for Stan, that he was able to bring such an important point to our team. So we are still in it for the weekend. This is what I'm interested in right now."

If his back continues to improve, the tie could get more interesting still.