Former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo is stepping down after three years as France’s Fed Cup captain as she is expecting her second child.

The 37-year-old’s announcement came a day after France were beaten 3-2 by the Czech Republic in a thrilling final.

“I’m going to give birth in April 2017, and it’s incompatible with the Fed Cup schedule, the first round is in February (11 and 12) and the eventual semi-final in April (22 and 23),” Mauresmo said.

“I told the girls this morning. They did not know because I wanted them to be 100 per cent focused on the final.

“There was a lot of emotion of course, especially since we did not sleep much tonight.”

Mauresmo won six of her nine Fed Cup matches in charge although defeat by the Czechs in Strasbourg meant she could not sign off with the title.

“There has been a lot of positive things, for tennis in general and for women’s tennis in particular, I am very satisfied with the commitment of the girls and the staff,” Mauresmo said.