PARIS (AP)—France has decided to play its Davis Cup final against Switzerland on indoor clay in a bid to thwart Roger Federer's quest for a first win in the team competition.
The final will be held at the 27,000-capacity Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille from Nov. 21-23.
France is third on the list of all-time winners and bidding for a 10th Davis Cup title. Switzerland is looking for its first.
With the best-of-five series scheduled five days after the ATP finals, France's decision looks like a strategic move as Stan Wawrinka and Federer, who are expected to play at the hardcourt tournament, could struggle to adapt to clay.
Federer and Wawrinka are favorites to win the trophy but will face a team including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, currently battling a knee injury and Richard Gasquet.