Florent Serra: 'Mindset on Davis Cup Captain Needs to Change'
Tennis - Florent Serra, the former World No. 36 who has pushed his name into the pool for the post of French Davis Cup captain, says France needs to get out of the mindset of naming a captain who is a former Top 10 player and a Davis Cup winner. In an interview to L'Equipe, Serra says, "For a long time, we have a system at home, and it is difficult to deviate from it. It's very specific to France. We always put captain who was top 10, who won the Davis Cup. I think we can get out of this. Playing the change card on this changing Davis Cup format is important to me. If Nadal or Federer must have people on the chair who have been ranked better than them, they are not going to have a big crowd. The Serbian captain in 2010 (Bogdan Obradovic), we may not know him, but he has the credibility to speak to Djokovic. And look at Krajan (current captain of Croatia). He was 90th in the world and that does not stop him from managing Cilic and Coric(7th and 12th World). I did not win often (two tournaments, one final, 33 appearances in Grand Slam main draws), but I have the respect of others because I often played on a leg and a half with my hip problems. I did not win this Davis Cup, but if one day we go get it, it would be the most beautiful trophy of my career!"
Serra says that humility and respect are very important to him. "It is necessary to gather the federation and the players in my opinion. We could have our two best players playing together more often. We could have won more Davis Cups. I wish I had Gaël (Monfils) and Gilles (Simon) in the final against the Croats, for example. Players must feel a presence of the coach, that they feel concerned. They must know that I will be a humble captain who does not have one mode of operation and who will be able to adapt. Humility is important. That's one of my qualities. Humility is knowing how to make choices. Have the courage to send a guy because he's the one who has to go, even if his style of play does not match us. Another point is for me super important is respect. Between players, with the captain, with the federation. We will not be unanimous on the choice of a captain. Yes, it is necessary to ask their opinion to the players but, finally, it is the federation that decides. And it's the captain who decides for his staff. Pierre Cherret is in total agreement with that. And I am very happy! I want to bring a neutrality to the staff. Otherwise, we can not work. If the physio goes on the circuit with a guy, if this guy plays another French, it's complicated"
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