"They were simply better than us," notes Paul-Henri Mathieu after France-Belgium in Davis Cup
France had high hopes for this Davis Cup final phase, but the French team's adventure in Bologna came to an abrupt end. Facing Steve Darcis' Belgium, Paul-Henri Mathieu's players were unable to qualify. Corentin Moutet was first defeated by Raphaël Collignon (2-6, 7-5, 7-5), before Arthur Rinderknech fell to Zizou Bergs (6-3, 7-6). Just minutes after the defeat, the French team captain shared his very first impressions with beIN Sports.
"There is disappointment and frustration. I think they were simply better than us, you have to acknowledge that. We know that in a short format like this, it comes down to very little. There are things that are sometimes hard to explain. Today, the Belgian players were certainly fresher than us. They played their chances better, and they were better.
I don't know if we can project ourselves onto a format like this. We know that so many things can happen... We saw it in the course of the two matches where there were turnarounds and, until the end, it could still swing. Obviously, there is frustration because with this team, we could have gone much further. There is disappointment, because you have to recognize that the opposing team was better than us. It's up to us to find the explanations.
It's always complicated for Corentin (Moutet) because these are always high-stakes matches. He starts well, Collignon took a little time to get into his match, he got into it gradually. Corentin certainly started to get frustrated. That's why I talk about mental freshness, because when you're less fresh, frustration comes more quickly, and he struggled to get back into it. I couldn't find the words to get him back on track. Obviously, he fought until the end but there is frustration.
Arthur (Rinderknech) was with his back against the wall. I told him that he wasn't alone on the court, even if he didn't have the feel he wanted, that there was someone on the other side and that there would inevitably be a bit of tension at some point. Before the match, I insisted on attitude, that's what can make the difference in heated moments, having a positive mindset. The others were better than us in that regard, but it's true that he almost turned the end of the second set around. Arthur had a great reaction, he gave everything he had but it wasn't enough," Mathieu told beIN Sports.
