It’s not outside the realm of logic for at least one male player from France to be in the semifinals of every Grand Slam played over the next few years. The nation’s best players are that good. But, as the Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against Germany shows, logic is a tricky word to attribute to the Gallic contingent.

 

 

The astonishing athleticism of Gael Monfils, the superior shot-making ability of Richard Gasquet, the all-court power of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the dogged baseline game of Gilles Simon have added up to zero Grand Slam singles titles and only one Grand Slam final appearance—Tsonga at the 2008 Australian Open. Granted, Grand Slams have been hard to come by for anyone not named Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Andy Murray over the past several years. And not only Grand Slams, but the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, too. Nadal and Djokovic are currently the titleholders at the last nine events played. It's definitely tough out there.

 

The members of France’s own “Big 4” have often found themselves in big situations, though, but have been unable to come through. While American men are facing their own struggles in capturing a major singles title, the last Frenchman to do so was Yannick Noah in 1983 at the French Open, one of the country’s most inspiring sports victories. Noah always had a flair for the dramatic, a quality Tsonga, Gasquet, Monfils and Simon all seem to possess as well. All of them are fan favorites, based on their games as much as their personalities. As much as it may seem cliché, their “joie de vivre” is certainly on display.

 

But what if Monfils toned down some of his antics on the court and focused on attacking more? Or Tsonga played with a little more consistency? Or if Gasquet could notch more wins against the Big Four who have dominated in his era? Or if Simon had bigger shots? Perhaps a major title would’ve been achieved by now.  Injury has had an impact on all of the Frenchmen, but all of them have had opportunities when they’ve been in good health.

 

As this week’s Davis Cup tie demonstrates, you never know what to expect when they’re on the court. Heavily favored to dispatch an injury-depleted German team, France will enter Sunday's reverse singles at a 2-1 disadvantage.  Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra, who are also playing this tie, are similarly highly talented but unpredictable. Those qualities are seen in the game of up-and-comer Benoit Paire, too.

 

If there was a touch more predictability, maybe the French players could reach even greater heights.