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Fedrinka Put Swiss in Strong Position on Day Two of Davis Cup Final
Fedrinka Put Swiss in Strong Position on Day Two of Davis Cup Final
That’s more like it! A strong performance from Fedrinka in the doubles put the Swiss ahead 2-1 in the tie with France going into the final day of the Davis Cup final. The Swiss now only need to win one singles to clinch their first Davis Cup title, after Fedrinka defeated Benneteau and Gasquet 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in an impressive doubles display. Stan was once again on fire and could do no wrong, while Roger also picked up his game. Of course it doesn’t hurt your own confidence when your partner is playing so well. I’m just glad that Roger’s back held up well and that it wasn’t a long drawn out match. For the French Benneteau played well while Gasquet was the weak link. I usually never watch doubles but this was quite entertaining stuff. Well my stream wasn’t exactly stable but there were some good rallies and it all went pretty fast. It was a risky decision to play Fedrinka in the doubles but it paid off very well in the end.
Fedrinka’s record in doubles had actually been quite poor in Davis Cup lately but they bossed it against the French in an almost flawless display. The doubles was always going to be crucial after the singles was split on day one and you gotta like the Swiss’ chances now. They only need to win one singles today which you’d think they will be able to do, especially since it looks like Tsonga won’t be available due to an elbow injury. But the tie is far from over. Tsonga also withdrew from the doubles yesterday due to the same problem. The French will probably play Benneteau in the number one singles then which means he will face Roger. Benneteau looked confident in the doubles and he has been a tricky opponent for Roger in the past. Roger didn’t sound too confident after the doubles when he said he hopes it is Stan’s weekend. That would suggest he is still not feeling very confident himself and that he is counting on Stan to get the job done.
Swiss synchrony
Fortunately Stan has hit form right in the nick of time for the Davis Cup final and is playing like he did when he won the Australian Open. If it comes down to a deciding rubber with Stan playing Monfils it would still be a tense affair however. Monfils was in the zone himself against Roger and with the French crowd behind him things could get difficult for Stan. So ideally Roger can take care of his singles, but after what I saw against Monfils I don’t hold out much hope of that happening myself. He just looked very average against Monfils and I’m not surprised that he is counting on Stan to get the job done. Of course you don’t wana see Roger lose both his singles matches in the Davis Cup final, but at least he helped get the point in the doubles. With his injury woes that may be all we can expect from him.Stan kind of owes the Swiss as it is after that poor display against Kazakhstan so it would be fitting if it’s his weekend.
Well this Davis Cup final has been quite enjoyable and in the end I’m glad Roger played as long as his back holds up. The Davis Cup atmosphere is certainly something unique as well as the team format. It is something different and fresh from the usual tour where it is every man for himself. It’s great to see how Fedrinka compliment each other and that their friendship is going strong through it all. It wasn’t always smooth going but they stuck at it and are now on the brink of a historic moment for Swiss tennis. As far as Roger’s singles career goes the Davis Cup would definitely mean something for it, even though I’m not sure how much. I think this is the right time to win it anyway, after he has achieved just about everything else. It’s like a small hole that was left in his resume which he can now fill. And aside from that it could have a very inspiring effect on him going into 2015.
The friendship that transcended competition
It would be very disappointing if Roger misses out on Wimbledon, the World Tour Finals, and now Davis Cup too. Even after having a great year that would leave me as a fan feeling empty-handed. Sure he achieved his goal of five titles for the year, but after what happened at Wimby and the World Tour Finals you feel like he deserves more, like he is due for something better. And the Davis Cup title would certainly provide that. Even if Roger ends up losing both singles but the Swiss wins the title it wouldn’t matter. He still did his part by helping the Swiss getting the all important doubles point and it’s not like he didn’t do his part in the past. He has always been the reliable one for the Swiss and his injury clearly didn’t help matters for him. Lets see how he fares in the singles today. If he loses it will all come down to a thrilling, all be it nerve wrecking finale, between Stan and Monfils.
Hopp Suisse!
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34 Comments
I hope Federer will deliver and in case Wawrinka is destined to seal the DC win, I will have no ill feeling. After all, we know that due to back injury Federer is not 100 percent. He has contributed immensely for the Swiss team to get them into the final and what is more he has helped to get the doubles win for Switzerland. Allez Roger seal the deal for your country.
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Nice post Ru-an and for someone like myself who is not an avid Davis Cup fan I admit I thought the doubles was very good viewing! Roger looked good, Stan again firing bullets so the pair looked as though they were in the ‘zone’. Would be great for Fed’s own peace of mind if he could win today, but as we know no one person ever wins the DC on his own so this time I’ll say C’mon Swiss x
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He’s playing Gasguet
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Great! Switzerland is Davis Cup champion. Congratulation to Swiss people and all fans
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Congrats all! What a wonderful victory it is.
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That’s spectacular. The year certainly ended on a high note. I’d call it a success overall, despite some letdowns. Roger was awesome this year.
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Ru-an Reply:
November 23rd, 2014 at 2:25 pm
Of course it was a success. You were expecting a slam, weren’t you?
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Chris Reply:
November 23rd, 2014 at 4:37 pm
Expecting, I don’t know. Maybe…
I certainly was hoping for one though.
It seems a little harsh the way Roger was denied Slams this year, (another loss to Nadal, a heartbreaking loss at Wimbledon, and a huge missed opportunity at the US Open after Djokovic lost) and it’s hard not to feel like he and we, his fans, were screwed.
But of course, this win is very, very, very nice. It makes up for every tough loss this year. That being the case, there’s no reason to complain more about the downsides of Roger’s season. In the end, everything went swimmingly.
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LOL, Switzerland Davis Cup Champion… Seemed impossible, but that Double yesterday was really the turn-around… Fedrinka really made it… France made some nonsense decisions, if Tsonga wasn’t fit, why don’t use Simon against Wawrinka and today against Federer? Federer shouldn’t have played also the first day against Monfils, but maybe that match was useful to find some form… Congratulations Switzerland…
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Well that was a clean win today for Federer and I liked how he really let the rest of the team take the spotlight afterwards.
Although I cannot understand the French team’s decision. Monfils was on fine form so why not play him in doubles? And then probably weirder is not going with Simon or even Benneteau. Both those guys have a game to trouble Federer. Benneteau showed a lot of heart yesterday and you know he has great disguise on the backhand. Simon has a solid, smothering game which can annoy Federer (hell he took Federer to a tight finals in Shanghai on a medium-fast hard court). And Simon took Fed to 5 in 2012 at the FO. So why go with Gasquet, who apart form his backhand, has few weapons.
Anyway Federer played well, his focus was like London last week. What a shame about London, but things end on a high.
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Ru-an Reply:
November 23rd, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Simon wasn’t on the team but they should have played Benneteau. Gasquet has had a poor year and Benneteau was a tougher opponent for Fed.
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Bharata Reply:
November 23rd, 2014 at 5:24 pm
Ah I didn’t realize Simon wasn’t on the team. That makes more sense .Feel bad for Gasquet somehow. In the end all the French depth wasn’t a big impact.
I hope Fed skips all exhibitions, but I think he will be too much of a `good guy’ and not disappoint everyone.
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Congratulations to Roger Federer! A Davis Cup Champion at Last! Another hole filled in the illustrious resume of our Great Champion!!!
))
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rahan Reply:
November 23rd, 2014 at 5:43 pm
I would happily sign for a similar hole in my resume
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« Quand il joue, c’est un sentiment incroyable. Roger, je t’aime encore.» (Stanislas Wawrinka)
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Congratulations to the Swiss team well done. Great play from Fed, and at last the DC monkey off his back. Been another great year to be a Fedfan x
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Hi all! Thanks again, Ru-an, for posting constantly.
Unfortunately I didn’t get much of a chance to follow the Davis Cup drama (besides seeing the end of Monfils blowing away our man). But he remained optimistic after that tough first loss, and he and the Swiss team made all the right moves. Wawrinka was the central player in this tie, giving the Swiss the all-important early lead which kept them above water after the first day, and then successfully recreating the remarkable partnership with Federer that brought them the gold medal in Beijing. They snapped a four-match losing streak in Davis Cup doubles, so this victory came at exactly the right time.
Perhaps the French team didn’t make the best choice by fielding Gasquet; with cleverer management, perhaps they could have picked a winning roster or at least forced a decisive rubber, at which point pressure and nerves come into play. On the other hand, hindsight’s always 20-20. Gasquet plays well on clay, has beaten Federer on clay, so it might have been their best shot for the singles (the decision to put him in doubles is more questionable).
Speaking of management, credit has to be given to Lüthi for his quiet professionalism, skillful management of his team, and ability to sublimate his ego by calling in the Bryan brothers’ coach for additional advice. The team could have panicked after Federer lost and it could have all fallen apart. Instead everyone stayed calm and Lüthi had faith that he and Wawrinka would be able to turn the trick in the doubles. It turned out his problem wasn’t injury, just rust and lack of familiarity with the surface. After two matches on the surface he was back to devastating form.
So Federer is right to give the credit to the team.
As the most successful player Switzerland has ever produced, Federer no doubt felt a correspondingly heavy obligation to help bring them a Davis Cup title, and together with Wawrinka, he’s finally managed it. Congratulations to Switzerland on their first ever Davis Cup title!
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I think Roger showed how much he cares about his Davis Cup teammates by the effort he put in this week. He could have pulled out citing a back injury, but he did everything he could to help the team. I’m sure he’s also glad he finally got the Davis Cup title. Also, as Roger said, Stan and Severin Luthi deserve huge credit as well, for their commitment and for Stan’s awesome play in the finals.
Probably the strangest thing about how it all ended was France’s decision to go with Gasquet against Federer after Tsonga pulled out. Monfils was due to play Wawrinka in the reverse singles, so that means that French captain Arnauld Clement was choosing between Gasquet and Benneteau. Both Gasquet and Benneteau have beaten Roger twice, but for Gasquet both of his wins came on clay, whereas for Benneteau his wins came on hard courts. I’m assuming Clement based his thinking on that fact. Maybe he also considered that Gasquet is younger, and more likely to take Federer into a long five-set match and beat Federer with superior fitness. Obviously, Clement’s plans backfired in the end, both his choice of clay surface and his selection of Gasquet for reverse singles.
Congrats to Roger and Stan, and Severin too, and now just over a month of “off-season”, and then we can start looking forward to Brisbane!
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Albert Reply:
November 24th, 2014 at 6:40 am
Also, it’s extremely ironic that with all the talk of Roger’s back injury, it turned out to be Tsonga’s arm injury that affected this Davis Cup tie the most. That’s part of what makes sports great drama sometimes.
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Alex Reply:
November 24th, 2014 at 7:07 am
Part of his thinking may have also been the fact that Gasquet was the weak link in the doubles and that he would be eager to redeem himself by playing the match of his life.
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“I guess I was wrong about their friendship…”
I guess more were. After spending so many years together almost every week, even ‘jealousy’ cannot come between them.
“Who’s the cry baby now?”
I love you Mirka, but please stay out of the friendship between these 2 men. Roger ‘carried’ Stan through the 1st round, QF and SF of DC, but it was Stan the Man who ‘carried’ your man through the Final. Let this be a lesson for you. You have stayed perfect in Roger’s box for more than 1000 matches and 15 years, so…. we will all forgive you for this little slip !!
“The friendship that transcended competition”
Oh my God, is this true or what?? These 2 mature men just showed that no wife can come between them, no jealousy can come between them and most of all….. NO press, NO haters, NO critics and NO naysayers. They tried to make a drift between the 2 of you, but you both didn’t let that happen. You can say a lot about Stan and Roger. That Stan is kind of jealous and Roger is kind of arrogant, but my God…. THEY ARE FRIENDS. Stan really pulled Roger through and Roger gave Stan ALL the praise and acknowledgements. This is true friendship. Take a lesson out of it, other players. You don’t need to see each other every night, or go out to dinner or drinks every night, or go on vacation together to be friends. Take a bow Roger and Stan for showing that your friendship really does transcend competition !!!
The way you carried his bag Stan, the way you whispered kind words, the way you both fought in the doubles, the way you still found the time to laugh a lot during doubles…. really Stan and Roger… take a bow
I am going overboard with this, but soooo proud of these 2…. who were soooooo DRUNK
Note to yourself Roger…. you cannot take alcohol as good as Stan
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Katyani Reply:
November 24th, 2014 at 8:14 am
Ps Ru-an, great headlines or whatever you call them underneath the pics
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Joe Reply:
November 24th, 2014 at 1:40 pm
On that node I want to add how much I appreciated your “Oops I did it again!” caption under a picture of Roger after he beat Stan at the ATP World Tour Finals.
That was a classic, but I thought we were all too concerned about Roger’s injury at that point for me to dwell on it.
Keep them coming Ru-an!
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Hey guys, some quick points from me:
1) Although you guys won’t agree with it. Massive and massive respect for Gasquet. He was there. Knowing that Roger would beat him. Still fought absolutely till the very last point. Like the commie said take a bow Richard. That is what I love about players like Ferrer, Gasquet, Berdych, etc. They know 99% for sure that they will lose against some players, but there they are… willing to fight, not giving up.
2) How nice was it to see Monfils quiet?? Don’t worry Monf, you played absolutely amazing against Roger. But lets see how you do when Roger’s back is not hurting so much.
3) Great and very wise decision of Seve to put Roger & Stan for doubles. I knew Stan didn’t even have to play today. NO WAY Roger was going to lose today. No matter what and no matter to whom.
4) Against Serbia, Kazackstan and Italy Roger was the Man and got Switzerland to the final. But in the Final against France Stan was really the Man and got Roger through.
5) Best moment that happened in the final: French coach going at it against the umpire and Seve looking at him like “what are you doing dude”
And yes…. Suisse won the DC Congrats to us all and Go Roger. And ofcourse Stan, Seve, Marco and Michael.
Bring on 2015
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Take a bow Gasquet. You were there and you stood there and my God…. you fought till the very last point.
Take a bow Stan the Man. You were the Man of the DC-Final-weekend.
Take a bow Seve. You earned this the most. And please NEVER EVER leave Roger.
Take a bow Marco and Michi for playing your part all these years.
BUT…. please and please take a bow ROGER. Eventhough Stan is getting the most credit (which is right), you are the one who made it happen. After all the questions ‘will you ever win DC?”.
And I know the 5 of you will defend your DC-title next year Hopp Suisse
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Best moment of DC 2014: ROGER & STAN’S “BROMANCE”
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eric Reply:
November 26th, 2014 at 7:01 am
I’m going with the crazy leaping overhead crosscourt winner to defend against a great lob attempt.
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Katyani Reply:
November 26th, 2014 at 11:51 am
Hey Eric, no…. I am just going with the “Bromance” in total Luckliy I recorded the dubs match so I can watch it again.
By the way…. How about the “Roger & Seve Bromance”?? Really Seve…. please don’t ever leave Roger.
I mean, not only did Stan carry his bags when Roger lost to Monfils, but Seve got Roger’s racquet out of his bag during the matches…. awww…. Bromance or what??
Other teams can learn from the Suisse
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Did you guys notice how all the commentary on Roger’s Davis Cup win try to make it like this is the biggest win since Wimbledon 2012.
I don’t know about that but all praise is welcome I suppose..
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