Luck on France’s side, again, ahead of Davis Cup semi-finals

NEW YORK: Sadly for France, Yannick Noah is leaving his job as Davis Cup captain at the end of the year. Since returning to the helm of the squad for the 2016 campaign, the former French Open champion has indeed been a lucky charm.

Despite a drop in their individual performances recently, Noah’s players have been able to reach the Davis Cup semifinals every year during his most recent stint. They lost to Croatia in 2016, won the title against Belgium last year and will be facing Spain this weekend at home for a place in the final against either Croatia or the United States.

Over the past two years, France has been lucky enough to face many teams playing without their best player.

In 2016, Noah, who also guided France to Davis Cup titles in 1991 and 1996, won his first series back in charge against Canada in the absence of Milos Raonic, who was out injured. Last year, France defeated Japan in the first round as Kei Nishikori skipped the matchup, then beat Britain for a semi-final spot after Andy Murray was forced to withdraw with an elbow injury. Lucas Pouille and his teammates then made it to the final by eliminating Serbia as Novak Djokovic played no part in the contest because of a long-term injury.

And this week again, luck is on France’s side. Noah’s players were expecting to take on Rafael Nadal this weekend, but the top-ranked Spaniard’s chronic knee problems resurfaced at the US Open.