Davis Cup Winner - Spain - 西班牙

http://www.daviscup.com/news/newsarticle.asp?id=13105

上面的link有很多照片喔....


05 Dec 2004 - Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla, Seville, ESP - Chris Bowers

Spain Set to Thrive in Davis Cup
Dwight Davis's silver bowl ends 2004 metaphorically draped in the red
and yellow of Spain, after the south-west European nation picked up its
second Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title with victory over the USA in Seville.

The history books will record Spain having won 3-2, but it was all over
once Carlos Moya had beaten Andy Roddick 62 76(1) 76(5) to give the hosts
an unassailable 3-1 lead. It was only the third time since the Final Round
was established in 1972 that a nation has won the Final despite losing the
doubles rubber, as the Spanish did on Saturday when the Bryan brothers
demolished Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo. Today, Mardy Fish put
some American respectability into the scoreline with a 76(8) 62 win
over Tommy Robredo in the dead rubber, which was well supported by another
27,200 crowd, most of whom stayed on to enjoy the trophy ceremony.

Though only the four players and captain nominated for the final receive
medals and replicas, Spain used the trophy ceremony to honour several
other back-room members of their team. And none deserved his place in
the spotlight more than Feliciano Lopez, who played a vital role back
in February when Spain's second Davis Cup triumph almost fell at the
first hurdle.

The tall left-hander was called into Spain's team for the first round
away tie against the Czech Republic. He was saved for the reverse singles
as he has a good record against Jiri Novak, but ended up playing Tomas
Berdych - and beating him in a match Spain had to win having gone into
the final day 2-1 down.

Lopez has been on the edge of the Spanish team ever since, and might
have played again if Spain had been drawn away on a fast surface. But
the other left-hander who saw Spain through in Brno, Rafael Nadal, has
been the year's revelation. Called in originally as a doubles player,
as he and Tommy Robredo seemed Spain's best hope of curing its doubles
Achilles heel, he ended up winning three vital singles: against Radek
Stepanek in the fifth rubber in Brno, against Arnaud Clement in the
fourth rubber of
the semi-final against France, and against Andy Roddick in the final.

Nadal becomes the youngest man ever to play on a winning team in a Davis
Cup Final, and his performance this weekend has clearly made the exciting
18-year-old Spain's second player behind Carlos Moya, for whom this was
a personal triumph. While Moya's friends were winning Spain's first Davis
Cup in 2000, he was trying to heal a back injury that threatened to end
his career. Missing out on his country's greatest moment gave birth to a
desire that he too would one day win the Davis Cup. He was thwarted in
last year's final despite a superb win on grass over Mark Philippoussis,
but this year provided Moya's moment.

"I've thought about this so many times," he said, "you can't imagine how
many, countless. I've even been dreaming, waking up in the middle of the
night, thinking that I'm winning the deciding point. Since I was not in
the 2000 team, this was my biggest goal, and my dream, and today it came
true. I cannot ask for more."

Hearing him say that, the words of Spain's captain - or one of the three
captains who form their "technical committee" - Jordi Arrese ring true.

"Even if we win the Davis Cup again," he said, "there will never be an
occasion quite like this. Next time it will be different, that's for
sure."

Moya is showing no signs of stopping now he has added a Davis Cup by
BNP Paribas winner's medal to the French Open title and world No 1
ranking he achieved in 1998 and 99. But the array of talent Spain
brought on for the trophy ceremony suggests he will have to fight
to keep his place. Alongside Lopez was Fernando Verdasco, who with
Nadal and Lopez could form a ferocious left-handed threesome in years
to come.

The good news for the Americans is that if they play Spain in next
year's final, they'll be at home and can pick a lightning fast surface
if they want to. And with the possible exception of Argentina, which
is overdue a run to a Davis Cup final, the USA and Spain look to be
the best two teams for the next few years, with Spain currently enjoying
a greater pool of talent than the Americans.

After the fifth rubber, the Estadio Olimpico's loudspeaker system blared
out Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive", which became the unofficial anthem
of Spain's 2000 Davis Cup triumph. With players like Nadal, Verdasco,
Lopez, Moya and Ferrero, Spain won't just survive - they'll thrive!


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