(CNN)Yannick Noah’s final tenure as France Davis Cup captain hasn’t been as smooth as some of the music he produces. But if France beat neighbors Belgium in the final this weekend to end a drought dating back to 2001, no one will be able to dispute their results.
Noah spearheaded France’s first Davis Cup title in 59 years in 1991 – famed for getting the best of the talented but seemingly nutty and out-of-form Henri Leconte against Pete Sampras’ USA – and was also on the bench when France clinched their first Fed Cup title in 1997.
These achievements cemented his place as a hero in France, his profile skyrocketing for the first time when he won the French Open in 1983 – with net-smashing flair to boot. Despite a golden generation of players over the past decade, France are still waiting for a male successor.
And off the pitch, Noah is indeed a pop star in its own right, having released about a dozen albums and once playing in front of 80,000 fans at the Stade de France, according to the New York Times.
But if he has legions of fans for his grooves, his popularity in France’s Davis Cup squad is another matter.
There was visible tension, for example, between Noah and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – long regarded as France’s No1 for the past 10 years – in September’s semi-final win over Serbia. The pair barely interacted during the transitions.
Noah’s first move in his third stint as Davis Cup captain last year was to choose Guadeloupe to host a first-round tie against Canada, and that drew the wrath of Gael Monfils, who was hoping for less travel time.
Monfils eventually played but is ruled out of the series against Belgium in Lille through injury, a blow since tennis’ ultimate showman was France’s only positive in a disastrous defeat by Switzerland three years ago in the final in the same city.
That result marked the beginning of the end for Noah’s predecessor Arnaud Clement, who was officially sacked a year later after France lost to Britain in the quarter-finals. Clement sued the French Tennis Federation for $1.8 million earlier last year before the parties settled.
Noah is unsure if he will be there in 2018 no matter what happens in Lille.
There is “no certainty about anything,” he told reporters this week.
Destiny on the side of France?
However, France’s route to this year’s final could lead to the assumption that fate is on the side of the 57-year-old and Les Bleus.
In victories over Japan, Great Britain and Serbia, France did not have to face Grand Slam winners or finalists Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
But Belgium star David Goffin – barring a last-minute snafu – will take to the hard court at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, which hosted a record tennis crowd of 27,448 on the final day of the 2014 game and is expected to boast similar numbers this weekend.
Fatigue is certainly a consideration for world no certainly also be extremely confident indoors in London.
Goffin’s late-season recovery began when he won his two Davis Cup games in the September semifinals against Australia.
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Goffin meets his friend and 18th Lucas Pouille in Friday’s opening singles – the 23-year-old Frenchman surprisingly leads 3-0 after going 4-0 in the tie-break – followed by Tsonga, No. 15 tussling with Steve Darcis, whose Rank 76 belies his Davis Cup achievements.
“Before the World Tour Finals, I thought Goffin was the best player in the Davis Cup Finals. It’s just a little clearer now,” Filip Dewulf, a semi-finalist at the 1997 Belgian French Open, told CNN. “What has changed is the way the French media, entourage and public view Goffin.
“David has always been so discreet that because the French are the French, they still thought in the back of their minds that Goffin was in the top 10 because of his consistency and luck that Djokovic, Murray and others got injured. Tsonga and Pouille would probably beat him. Now they are much less secure, if not even anxious.
“A player who beats Nadal and Federer in a week is the real deal and that kicks in a few days before it kicks off.”
Belgium hopes for first title
Belgium, a nation better known for its women tennis players given the careers of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, has never won the Davis Cup, but the 2015 final against Great Britain with the same group of players will help this time, Dewulf added.
“They had the same emotions two years ago and should be able to use that feeling to their advantage,” said Dewulf.
“Playing in front of 27,000 people will probably be different, but the fact that they’re playing an away game takes some of the pressure off. They’re not meant to win and it’s always easier to be the underdog.”
Both captains changed their original pairings for Saturday’s doubles. Noah drafted Richard Gasquet – who struggled in the 2014 final – to play alongside Pierre Hugues Herbert, while Johan van Herck selected Joris de Loore instead of Arthur de Greef to play with Ruben Bemelmans.
De Loore was always the first choice ahead of De Greef, the only problem was a knee injury.
When it comes to a decider, watch out for Darcis. The man nicknamed “Shark” holds a 22-9 Davis Cup record and is a perfect 5-0 in “live” fifth games after beating Jordan Thompson in the semifinals.
So, will Noah’s magic touch go away?
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“I’m sure the French will feel the pressure,” said Dewulf. “The players are considered to be the golden generation, but in the eyes of the media they have not lived up to the expectations of the public and the press. You will be reminded of this several times.
“I don’t feel that there is really a good connection between players and French journalists while everyone on the Belgian side is drawing for the Belgian team. And in the eyes of the general public, this is a unique opportunity against a small country like Belgium. ”
“You just can’t lose and that’s never an easy position.”
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