French tennis ace Ugo Humbert could face sanctions by his own federation after deciding to prioritise the ATP Tour ahead of the Davis Cup. That's according to the National Technical Director of the French Tennis Federation, Didier Retiere, who claimed they are "working on the matter".

Humbert, who competed in this year's Australian Open, announced last week that he intends to skip the first-round qualifier at home against Slovakia next week. It's due to take place at the Le Chaudron hard courts, but the 27-year-old is expected to compete next week at the Open Occitanie in Montpellier instead.

Speaking to French outlet L'Equipe, Retiere expressed his frustration, saying: "Obviously, we are a little sad. Team competitions leave an incredible mark on the lives of players, on the life of the Federation, on the life of the public and clubs. When you start playing tennis, of course the ambition is to become a professional player. But it must also include the fact of wearing the tricolour jersey."

Given that Humbert was named in the initial squad, he could face sanctions from the federation after opting out of competing in the Davis Cup. Retiere added that it will be a decision for the President of the French Tennis Federation. He continued: "It's up to the president of the FFT, Gilles Moretton, to make the decision. We are disappointed. We are working on the matter."

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The tennis official did go on to admit that tensions between the Davis Cup and ATP Tour will make occurrences like this more common. He remarked: "At some point, the competition has become less readable. So obviously, players also ask themselves questions. With the growing weight of the calendar and tournaments, it has become difficult for them to reconcile everything. That's why it's not black or white. But indeed, I think the format has not made things any easier."

Whereas team coach Ivan Ljubicic, claimed: "It's sad. We are all sad. For me, the Davis Cup has always been very important. And in France, I had the feeling that it was the most important thing for all the players. Obviously, that is not the case. So there you have it-we will have to play without him. Also, it seems a bit strange to me to have a main tour tournament in France at the same time as a French team match. When I was playing, that didn't happen. We had weeks with only the Davis Cup."