AFP, Paris :
Richard Gasquet has withdrawn from the French Davis Cup team to take on Germany in a quarter-final tie in Nancy this weekend due to a painful back, the French Tennis Federation announced on Monday.
Ranked 11th in the world, Gasquet has been suffering from sciatic nerve pain and needs to rest for at least eight days, the federation said in a press release.
Team captain Arnaud Clement has called up two players to replace him – Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Michael Llodra. They will join up with Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Gakl Monfils, and Julien Benneteau.
Germany, who defeated Spain in the first round, have also been hit by injuries, with their top three-Tommy Haas, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer-all unavailable.
The French have won the last six meetings between the two nations, including all four in the World Group, and you have to go back to 1938 for the last time that Germany won.
