Yannick Noah taking no chances ahead of Davis Cup final

PARIS — Laid-back in everyday life, Yannick Noah is meticulous when it comes to being a tennis coach.

So over the last 10 days, the France captain has been paying close attention to anything that could derail his team's chances of winning an 11th Davis Cup title against Croatia this weekend.

"The most important thing was to spend as much time as possible together thinking about this final," said Noah, who summoned his players for a demanding training camp in northern France about two weeks ahead of the final.

"We could have imagined a training camp in Paris. Once the day is over, everybody gets back home," Noah said. "In fact, you lose your focus. Here, as soon as we woke up, we were in the final. When we started to run in the morning, it was still dark, but we were already in the final. During our meals, we thought about the final."

Noah guided France to Davis Cup titles in 1991, 1996 and 2017, but he will step down after this weekend and Amelie Mauresmo will take over.

Since he returned to captain France in 2016, Noah has been rewarded with success. Despite a drop in individual performances, Noah's players have reached the Davis Cup semifinals every year during his most recent stint, losing only once to Croatia in 2016.

They won the title against Belgium last year and now have the chance to conquer the last final played in its traditional format. Beginning next year, the top team event in men's tennis will be decided with a season-ending, 18-team tournament at a neutral site.

"We've got a unique chance, which will never happen again, to play a Davis Cup final at home," Noah said. "We fought for this chance throughout the year. Not only for the team, but also for the event. Most of us have been obsessed by (this final).