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 Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009 |
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| 05 Dec 2009 - Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona - Chris Archer | |
| Spain clinches fourth Davis Cup title |
In the year 2000, a Spanish team won its first ever Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title. Nine years later - and at the very same venue, Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona - Spain confirmed its status as the leading nation in men’s tennis.
The decisive point, clinched in Saturday’s doubles rubber to give Spain an unassailable 3-0 lead over Czech Republic, was won by Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco. They battled through a tight first set against Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych and never looked back, winning 76(7) 75 62.
Having exchanged early breaks of serve, the first set headed for a tie-break which would be influential in shaping the outcome of the match. Lopez and Verdasco led 6-3 before the Czechs fought back to hold a set point of their own. However, a timely interception and an excellent return gave the Spaniards one more opportunity which they gratefully converted.
The second set went with serve but when Berdych was broken at 5-5, the result had an air of inevitability about it. Two further breaks followed in the third set and after two hours, 46 minutes, Spain was crowned Davis Cup by BNP Paribas champion for the fourth time.
Nadal and Ferrer set up victory
Lopez and Verdasco, who were also instrumental in Spain’s defeat of Argentina in last year’s Final, will be grateful to their teammates, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, for setting them up with the opportunity to clinch the title.
Nadal and Ferrer both won fine singles matches on Friday against opposition who, until this weekend, had conquered all before them. Despite their fantastic run to the Final, Stepanek and Berdych may look back on their campaign with some disappointment but, quite simply, they were beaten by a better team, a world class team.
Nadal was first up on Friday against Berdych in a match that, having promised much in the first set, turned into a one-sided affair. Berdych was within two points of taking a set lead but couldn’t capitalise and the world No. 2, in true fashion, made him pay dearly, winning 13 games in a row to record a 75 60 62 victory.
‘Like a duck to water’ is a very apt saying when describing the four-time Roland Garros champion’s return to his beloved clay. The popular opinion, fuelled by his performance at last week’s ATP World Tour Finals in London, is that Nadal has been struggling for form of late but, after overcoming some early nerves, he was back to his fist-pumping best.
Ferrer, meanwhile, was made to work harder for his 16 26 64 64 86 win over Stepanek, who went in to the late-night fixture as favourite. The quality of the Czech No. 1’s play in the opening two sets was awesome. He mixed instinctive net play with deft drop shots and attacking ground strokes – Ferrer had no answers.
The Spaniard is a fighter, though, and he dug deep to gain an early break in the third set. The momentum shift was immediately evident and, slowly but surely, Ferrer began to turn things around. The match went into a fifth set which was decided by a single break of serve in the Spaniard’s favour.
Costa joins elite group of captains
Albert Costa, the Spanish captain, followed in the footsteps of one of his predecessors, Javier Duarte, skipper of Spain’s inaugural winning team in 2000 which, incidentally, included Costa as a player. The two men, along with USA’s Arthur Ashe in 1981 and France’s Yannick Noah in 1991, have all lifted the trophy in their first year as captain.
Costa’s job, some might say, was made easy by having such a talented pool to choose from. Spain currently has 11 players ranked inside the world’s top 75, more than any other country. Despite these stats, Spain’s biggest asset is, arguably, its team spirit – demonstrated by the bumps that Juan Carlos Ferrero, the non-playing reserve, received from his teammates at the conclusion of the doubles rubber.
"We are all very good friends," said Nadal. "That helps a lot. That's very important. But first thing is [we] have very good players. In Spain, we have a lot."
Spain opens up next year’s campaign with a home tie against Switzerland. The potential match-up between Nadal and Roger Federer is a mouth watering prospect. Should the Spaniards win that first round fixture - and its hard to bet against them considering they haven’t lost at home since 1999 - then they will be off and running and on their way to a third consecutive title, a feat last achieved by USA in 1972. This Spanish team is here to stay!
Related links on DavisCup.com
Tie information
News
Audio interviews
Related links on other websites
Real Federacion Espanola de Tenis
Czech Tenisova Asociace
Related Audio
 Interview with captain Albert Costa (ESP) - Saturday 1
Interview with captain Albert Costa (ESP) - Saturday 2
Interview with Feliciano Lopez & Fernando Verdasco (ESP) - Saturday 1
Interview with Feliciano Lopez & Fernando Verdasco (ESP) - Saturday 2
Interview with captain Jaroslav Navratil (CZE) - Saturday
Interview with Tomas Berdych & Radek Stepanek (CZE) - Saturday
 
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