There was no need to wait for Sunday evening and the end of the group matches to be officially fixed on the fate of the Blues.
As in Madrid, two years ago, the French Davis Cup team was eliminated in the group stage, this time in the deafening camera in Innsbruck.
After the two singles defeats against Great Britain, the demonstration in doubles of the unprecedented pair Mahut-Rinderknech had maintained a very poor hope of qualification.
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But, with three games won and three losses, and a negative set average of -2, the Blues no longer had any hope of finishing among the two best second of the six pools.
The straight set defeats recorded in singles by Richard Gasquet (against the Czechs), then by Adrian Mannarino and Arthur Rinderknech against the British, weighed heavily.
Deprived of his two best players in the standings (Monfils and Humbert), captain Sébastien Grosjean had to deal with an experimental selection.
Walking
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