Macron welcomes France’s Fed Cup champs to the Elysee Palace

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SHOWS: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 12, 2019) (AGENCY POOL - ACCESS ALL)

1. FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, ARRIVING TO APPLAUSE TO NEWS CONFERENCE TO CONGRATULATE FRENCH TENNIS PLAYERS FOR WINNING THE FED CUP

2. FED CUP CHAMPS LISTENING TO MACRON SPEAK

3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"And this victory, as the captain just said, is about great athletes, great sportswomen, but also great ladies, because it took a great strength of mind to get to where you've been."

4. CLOSE-UP OF THE FED CUP TROPHY

5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"Behind (this victory), and I say this in front of your families who are there, when champions like you win, it's clubs, it's volunteers, it's families, it's staff, it's hundreds of thousands of people who are invisible but who have spent ends of days, Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, taking part in competitions, rehearsing, training, making all the sacrifices on Earth, to build champions."

6. APPLAUSE FOLLOWING MACRON'S SPEECH

7. WHITE FLASH

8. MACRON WALKING OVER TO POSE WITH THE TENNIS CHAMPS AND THEIR TROPHY

9. WHITE FLASH

10. MACRON POSING WITH TENNIS CHAMPS

STORY: French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed France's Fed Cup champions to the Elysee Palace on Tuesday (November 12) to congratulate them on their victory, France's first in in the competition in 16 years.

France defeated hosts Australia in the final in the decisive doubles rubber in Perth on Sunday (November 10).

Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia held firm in a tense decider to beat Ash Barty and Sam Stosur 6-4 6-3 at Perth Arena to secure France's third title in the women's team event.

Macron congratulated the tennis players, Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic, Pauline Parmentier, Fiona Ferro, Alize Cornet; their coach, Julien Bennetea; as well as all those behind the scenes who made all the "sacrifices on Earth, to build champions."

France last won the competition in 2003 when Amelie Mauresmo led the French to a 4-1 win over the United States in the final in Moscow.