Escude Gives France 2-0 Lead
After the match an angry Federer, one of the sport's most talented and exciting prospects, told a news conference he could no longer play for his country if Jakob Hlasek continued as team captain.
"I cannot play properly if he is sitting in the chair," said Federer. "We're going to have a team meeting tonight."
It is believed the friction is the result of a personality clash between the easy-going, free-spirited Federer and the regimented Hlasek.
Ironically, the outburst came just days after Hlasek had patched up a long-running feud with Marc Rosset, another key member of Switzerland's Davis Cup team.
Arnaud Clement drew first blood for the French by winning a five-set marathon 6-3 3-6 7-6 6-7 15-13 over Rosset, playing his first singles for Switzerland in two years following the row.
Clement, Australian Open finalist, battled through one of the longest matches in Davis Cup history. It lasted five hours 46 minutes and there were nine match points.
The 72 games played by Clement and Rosset were the most ever in a world group tie, since the tiebreak was introduced in 1989.
"There wasn't one of those match points that I believe I played wrong," said Arnaud. "He (Rosset) didn't miss any of those shots.
"He would play average tennis and then come up with something really big when it mattered."
Rosset, who blasted 48 aces in the match, was disappointed by the defeat. "I'm disgusted, I just want to jump in the lake," he said.
"It was over five hours of battling and to lose the match is painful"
The 28 games played by Rosset and Arnaud were the third highest in a Davis Cup fifth set.
The record of 38 games was set by the Barbadian Richard Ashby and Bolivian Jose Medrano in 1991 and equaled by Portugal's Nuno Marques and Yugoslavia's Nenad Zimonjic in 1998.
The Swiss have beaten France just once in eight Davis Cup ties stretching back to 1923.
(Reuter)