Monfils to lead France team in Davis Cup final

Saint-Cyprin: In-form Gael Monfils will lead team mates Michael Llodra, Gilles Simon and Arnaud Clement in the Davis Cup final against Serbia, France captain Guy Forget said on Tuesday.

Richard Gasquet will be substitute for the men`s team event but could have a role to play, Forget said during a news conference in Saint-Cyprien where the French team are holding a five-day training camp.Serbia, whose hopes will rest heavily on the shoulders of world number three Novak Djokovic, will host the tie in Belgrade from Dec. 3-5. Djokovic will be joined by Viktor Troicki, Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic. France head into the final with confidence high following fine performances from Monfils and Llodra in the Paris Masters earlier this month. Llodra, who beat Djokovic in Paris, lost to Robin Soderling in the semi-finals as the Swede went on to beat Monfils in the final. "This victory (of Llodra against Djokovic) will bring him a lot of confidence," Forget told reporters. "It will also force Djokovic to be more cautious. Both players, however, are smart enough to know that Bercy and Belgrade will be two different things but Michael did bother him and that`s a good point." Forget said that only Monfils was certain to play the opening singles with Llodra sure of a doubles place.Serbia captain Bogdan Obradovic will be keeping a check on Djokovic and doubles specialist Zimonjic, both of whom are involved in the ATP Tour Finals in London. "It`s maybe a unique opportunity for all of us, so we have to find this little piece of energy there is left and give everything on the court," Djokovic told reporters. Bureau Report