Lille, France (SportsNetwork.com) – The great Roger Federer lifted
Switzerland to its first-ever Davis Cup title on Sunday when he whipped
France’s Richard Gasquet in straight sets.
Federer defeated Gasquet in 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 fashion to give the visiting Swiss
an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie on an indoor red clay
surface at Lille’s Stade Pierre Mauroy.
The 17-time Grand Slam king Federer has now captured every coveted title in
men’s tennis, with the exception of an Olympic gold medal in singles. He
paired with his current Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka to win a gold medal
in doubles at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
Federer pulled out of last week’s championship match at the prestigious ATP
World Tour Finals in London because of a back injury, which appeared to slow
him here on Friday, but not Sunday in Lille, where he would not be denied.
Switzerland headed into Sunday’s reverse singles with a 2-1 lead against the
host French after Federer and Wawrinka teamed up for a straight-set doubles
victory over Gasquet and Julien Benneteau on Saturday.
The capable Gasquet replaced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the French draw on Sunday.
The former Australian Open runner-up Tsonga lost to this year’s Aussie
champion Wawrinka in four sets in Friday’s opening singles rubber, while Day
1’s other match saw Gael Monfils upset the former world No. 1 and currently
second-ranked Federer in straights.
The Davis Cup, which was first contested in 1900, has been captured by France
on nine occasions, while the Swiss were seeking that elusive maiden
championship. Switzerland finished as a runner-up back in 1992.
The Swiss are captained by Severin Luthi, while the French are guided
by former Aussie Open runner-up Arnaud Clement.
Switzerland is now 3-10 all-time versus France in Davis Cup play. The two
nations last met in a 2004 quarterfinal, which was won by the French.
France was seeking its first title in 13 years.
