And if he did? And if Yannick Noah dared to put Lucas Pouille on the sidelines to revive Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, forced rest from February to September? The hypothesis has gained weight in recent hours. Le Manceau has obviously scored points this week at training, like Jérémy Chardy. The No. 1 of the Blues could pay the costs and start on the touch of this Davis Cup final against Croatia.
We will be fixed in a few minutes. The final draw will begin at 12:30 pm at Pierre-Mauroy stadium. The two captains will then reveal their team composition. If there is very little suspense in the Croatian camp, where Cilic (7th) and Coric (12th) are indisputable in singles, it is much more open to the Blues.
The trend is currently a strong choice of Noah who could favor the duo Chardy - Tsonga, at the expense of Lucas Pouille. "The composition is complicated to do because no one has managed an extraordinary season, said Cédric Pioline yesterday, we will build on what we have seen for 10 days."
+ Davis Cup. France - Croatia: the final in figures
What they seem to have seen, in this case, is a Lucas Pouille in the lineage of his season. A player who doubts, who has just separated from his coach (Emmanuel Planque) and is only the shadow of the 10th world player he was last season.
Yannick Noah could therefore try to bet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, with the risk that he can not necessarily hold a marathon match on a clay always physically demanding. Not easy for a player who did not return to competition until late September, after an injury and knee surgery. All week, the Sarthois said he was ready to play.
Verdict in a few minutes.