France soccer players send support to Davis Cup team

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LILLE, France (AP) — There will be an air of sporting "deja vu" when France takes on Croatia in the Davis Cup final.

The two nations already faced off this year in the World Cup final, with France's national soccer team emerging victorious 4-2.

Yannick Noah, the Davis Cup captain for France, is a longtime soccer fan. He said his team took inspiration from the country's victory in Russia, adding he spoke with France coach Didier Deschamps ahead of this weekend's final.

The best-of-five series will be played on an indoor clay court installed in a soccer stadium in the northern city of Lille.

"It was a very positive summer because of what they did, and the way they did it," Noah said about the World Cup champions. "We are now listening to the music they listened to (while in Russia). They also sent us some messages."

In a video posted on the French tennis federation's Twitter account, soccer players including Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann sent encouraging messages to Noah's team.

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