France Fed Cup skipper Nicolas Escude has selected Alize Cornet, Pauline Parmentier, Virginie Razzano and Aravane Rezai for his country’s Fed Cup opening-round match against Slovakia in Bratislava on February 4-5.

The French Tennis Federation indicated on Wednesday that Kristina Mladenovic, 18 and earning a first call-up, would be the reserve.

Parmentier, ranked 70 on the WTA computer, is the only one of the quartet who made it through the opening round of the Australian Open.

Razzano is ranked 84, Cornet 85 and Rezai 120.

“Their results (in Melbourne) were not all that great but even so, I saw some good things on court and that’s why I have gone with these four experienced players,” said Escude.

France will have to do without their top-ranked player Marion Bartoli, the world number nine, as she quit the squad in protest at Fed Cup players not being allowed to deploy their personal trainers – in her case, her father, Walter.

After losing a play-off last season to Spain, two-time winners France dropped out of the Fed Cup elite for the first time and now rank only 15th.

The French take on a Slovak squad that includes world number 18 Dominika Cibulkova and 21st-ranked Daniela Hantuchova.