07:39
Muhammad Aslam
The most sterling résumé in tennis is finally complete.
With an immaculate drop shot that capped a dominant 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer clinched the first Davis Cup in Swiss history, filling in the lone gap on the tennis CV of an all-time great. Federer was sublime on Sunday against Gasquet, who was filling in for an injured Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. And though Gasuqet was far from struggling, the Frenchman never had a chance. This match wasn’t one-way traffic, it was Federer speeding around the Arc de Triomphe, never giving Gasquet room to make a move.
When it was over, Federer fell to the clay, tears in his eyes, then celebrated with his Swiss teammates. Sunday’s was easily Federer’s biggest win since the 2012 Wimbledon final and, arguably, even before that. That last Slam over Andy Murray was simply another notch in his belt. Seventeen instead of 16. It added another digit to his tennis obituary, though it did end speculation about whether Federer could ever win another major, a discussion that preceded
But the Davis Cup was different. It’s an odd bird in tennis — the tournament is increasingly localized like the World Series and only the countries involved seemed to care once it gets to the final. Not this time. Not with a legend looking to add to his already-epic status against a game squad of charismatic and talented Frenchmen.
The debate about the greatest tennis player ever will always continue and will never have a definitive answer. But Federer’s argument took a big step today. Rafael Nadal won four Davis Cups. Pete Sampras also won four. Novak Djokovic got his in 2010 and used it as a springboard to a now-historic career. No one can ever say Federer never got his.
Part of his Davis Cup struggles was through no fault of his own. The tournament can’t be won alone. It takes at least two, sometimes three or four players to win. Previous partners in Federer’s Davis Cup quests included journeymen Marco Chiudinelli, Michel Kratochvil, Michael Lammer and Ivo Heubergerk. Federer’s previous best showing at the tournament was in 2003 when he dropped a would-be clniching five-setter against No. 7 Lleyton Hewitt. His Swiss partners that year were ranked 129, 130 and 166.
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