LILLE, France (AP) – Saying he has recovered from a back injury, Roger Federer has the chance to finally win one of the only notable titles missing from his collection.
Federer will play Gael Monfils on Friday in the second singles match as Switzerland takes on France in the final of the Davis Cup. Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka will open the best-of-five series on indoor clay against France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in this northern French city.
Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, was doubtful for the final after injuring his back last week during his three-set win over Wawrinka in the semifinals at the ATP finals in London. The injury forced him to pull out of the title match against Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
Federer said a final practice session hours before Thursday’s draw convinced him he would be able to step on court Friday. Whether he is 100 percent fit remains uncertain.
“We’ll see tomorrow how it goes, but I practiced well today … and I was really pleased to see that I was able to give it a go,” the second-ranked Federer said.