By Chris Oddo | Saturday, November 22, 2014
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka put Switzerland on the brink of its first ever Davis Cup title by claiming the all-important doubles point on Saturday in Lille.
Photo Source: Julien Finney/Getty
All the drama, second-guessing and speculating faded into the French air on Saturday in Lille, as Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka clarified each and every question about their status as friends, compatriots and Davis Cup teammates with a resounding 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet to give the Swiss a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup final over France.
After Friday’s dismal beatdown in the second singles rubber at the hands of Gael Monfils, many wondered if Federer would even be available for doubles duty on Saturday, but the 17-time Grand Slam champion took the court looking decidedly fitter than he had on Saturday. Helping matters considerably was the fact that Stan Wawrinka carried his fantastic form from Friday’s singles into the doubles.
Remarkably, Wawrinka and Federer had lost their last four Davis Cup doubles rubbers heading into the final, but the 2008 Olympic Gold medal winners were cohesive and switched on from the start of this high-stakes affair.
“Stan has been unbelievably supportive,” said Federer. “It’s good we got this point today.”
That early intensity would yield the first break points of the match in the sixth game of the first set, and Federer and Wawrinka would pepper Benneteau and Gasquet with a barrage of forehands at the net before Wawrinka’s last forehand proved too hot to handle for Gasquet.
The break would be all the Swiss team would need to clinch the opener, and though the second set saw an energized French team, led by the spirited and more active and assertive Benneteau, earn five break points, they were left wanting in the end when Federer would connect on a backhand winner off of Gasquet’s second serve to give the Swiss the pivotal break and a 6-5 lead in set two.
Wawrinka would hold to love in the next game to finish the set, and the Swiss would strike quickly in the third set when Wawrinka would groove a forehand winner down the middle to give the Swiss what proved to be an insurmountable lead in the fifth game.
The Swiss cruised from there, with Federer holding serve to clinch the rubber before a muted celebration broke out.
For Switzerland there was much to celebrate, but with a two more singles rubbers to play on Sunday, both teams know that the 2014 Davis Cup still hangs in the balance.
Notes, Numbers, Tweets
Only six times in Davis Cup history has a team overcome a 2-1 deficit to win the final. The last two times it happened, France was on the losing end.
Federer and Wawrinka benefitted significantly from the hiring of David Macpherson to aid their coaching team for doubles. Macpherson is the coach of Mike and Bob Bryan.
Federer improves to 12-9 in Davis Cup doubles matches, while Wawrinka improves to 4-12.