The French team, the French captain and the French nation are all in shock after the country's Davis Cup final defeat by Russia, former France stalwart Henri Leconte said on Tuesday.
"What a shame," the now-retired Leconte said.. "It was such a sad end, such a shock -- everybody is in shock."
Leconte is in London for this week's annual veterans tournament at the Royal Albert Hall but his thoughts were still in Paris after the Russians pulled off a surprise victory against the hosts and champions just two days ago.
Russian Mikhail Youzhny was the hero, clawing his way back from two-sets-to-love down to beat Paul-Henri Mathieu in the fifth and decisive match of the weekend.
But while Youzhny bathed in a nation's adulation, Mathieu, aged just 20 and making his Davis Cup debut, was left to contemplate another gut-wrenching defeat.
Earlier this year he let a two-set lead slip away when he lost to Andre Agassi in the French Open.
Sunday's
"It will be very hard for him to recover from this," Leconte said. "Very difficult indeed, but he is young. For someone of my age or for a 25-year-old player it would be very tough but he has age on his side.
"I mean it is a little bit like what happened to Pete Sampras when I beat him in the Davis Cup. It was his first Cup match and he was number three in the world or something but he had no experience of Davis Cup.
"I beat him that day but he bounced back - won 14 grand slam titles, I think he recovered."
Leconte said Guy Forget, his team mate during that famous 1991 Cup triumph and now French team captain, was also devastated.
"It is terrible for him. You are the captain and you are watching on the sides but the feeling for you is the same as if you are playing.
"He is very disappointed. Afterwards he was thinking maybe he didn't make the right decision with the team selection but that is tennis.
"You can't choose how things are going to turn out. But for sure he is going to continue as captain."
