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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday November 24, 2019


Rafael Nadal locked up an emotional victory for Team Spain and sent the Caja Magica into jubilation on Sunday in Madrid with a 6-3 7-6(7) triumph over Denis Shapovalov. The victory marks the conclusion of a wild week of new-look Davis Cup Finals tennis and brings Spain its sixth Davis Cup title overall, and first since 2011.

Nadal was the hero on paper but in the heart of the Spanish team there was one man who stood tallest.

For a proper introduction to the enduring spirit of the Davis Cup, look no further than the inspiring performance of Roberto Bautista Agut, who set Sunday's tone when he surged to a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime just days after the passing of his father. A veteran of ten ties since 2014, this year marks Bautista Agut's first taste of the trophy.

"Everything I felt on the court, all the support, the truth is: it's incredible,” Bautista Agut said on Sunday. “The only thing that you can do here as a player is to step into the court and give everything and fight on the court. Today I could play thanks to the determination and support of my team over the week."

Tennis Express

Spain’s Captain Sergi Bruguera and Nadal each weighed on the incredibly strong-willed performance of their compatriot with glowing words.

“Unbelievable,” Spain’s Captain Bruguera said after the final had been won. “And can you imagine Roberto yesterday was at the funeral of his father and now here giving everything—the mentality, the concentration, the spirit, everything for the team. I have no idea how to describe this in words.”

Nadal won all eight of his matches at these Davis Cup finals and did not have his serve broken once in singles or doubles. It was a shining performance if there ever was one, and one that likely go down as one of Nadal's best Davis Cup performances, but even Nadal agreed that the emotional recovery of Bautista Agut was the moment that represented the true heroism of the Spanish effort.

''I've won the eight matches but the person who was vital in this Davis Cup was Roberto,'' Nadal said. ''For me, what he did was something almost inhumane. I don't know how to explain it. It will be an example for the rest of my life. He had to leave, then his dad died, then he came back and practiced with us yesterday, and today he was ready again to play at a very high level. It was something incredible.''

The Canadians were playing in their first Davis Cup final and Auger-Aliassime was seeing his first action of the week when he opened the final against Bautista Agut.

Shapovalov fought valiantly against Nadal and drew big praise for his efforts. Canada also got big contributions from a resurgent Vasek Pospisil, who played a pivotal role in helping Canada make it to Sunday in Madrid.

''I feel like we've really come really far as a team, as a nation,'' the 20-year-old Shapovalov said. ''Definitely we're super proud.”

Spain earns its first Davis Cup title since 2011. Under new management, the Davis Cup wiped its old format clean and rolled out a week-long bonanza in Madrid that featured 18 nations and shorter, more concise matches. Three best-of-three set rubbers settled each tie and eight teams qualified for a knockout round that commenced on Friday.


Tennis Express

The format was drastically different, but the commitment of the players was as moving as ever. Nadal played some of his best tennis of this long grind of a season and when it was said and done he passed the praise to his grieving teammate in yet another example of Spain’s all-for-one and one-for-all mentality.

 

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