Roger Federer, Switzerland are victorious in Davis Cup
Federer completes his trophy collection with win
Roger Federer helped Switzerland win their first ever Davis Cup title when he beat Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 in the fourth match of the tie, giving the Swiss an unassailable 3-1 lead. The Swiss were given a dream start when Stanislas Wawrinka defeated French No. 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-2. The French pulled even when Gael Monfils crushed Roger Federer in straight sets, 6-1 6-4 6-3. There were serious questions about Federer’s fitness, as less than a week earlier he had to give Novak Djokovic a walk-over in the season-ending Barclays ATP Tour Finals.
But like a true warrior Federer bounced back, first teaming up with Wawrinka to give the Swiss a 2-1 lead following their doubles’ triumph over Julian Benneteau and Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-5 6-4. With the match online, the French suffered a setback when Tsonga could not be match fit for the return singles match against Federer. With the chance to give the Swiss their first Davis Cup title, Federer demolished Gasquet to finish the year on a high.
Having already won a record 17 Grand Slam titles, 6 ATP Tour Finals and an Olympic Gold medal, Federer conquered his final frontier by adding the one crown that had remained elusive. It takes a man of unbelievable stature to remain humble after achieving what he has in tennis, and yet he was able to do just that following his victory, dedicating the historic achievement to his team.
Federer has been a dominant figure in men’s tennis for over a decade now, and undoubtedly this triumph would not have been possible without the emergence of Stanislas Wawrinka. With the season he has had, his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and a couple of epic encounters with Djokovic, he has emerged out of Federer’s shadows and is a force to reckon with in his own regard, perhaps even the greatest threat to the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic triad.