Roger Federer Wins First Davis Cup Title with Win Over Richard Gasquet
Roger Federer lived through another historic moment in his illustrious career on Sunday afternoon when he helped his country reach their first ever Davis Cup title against home favourites France in Lille.
It was his country’s first team title in the 115-year history of the tournament, and only their second attempt in the final to win the crown. A word record crowd of 27, 448 was in attendance for the historic moment – one that saw Federer collapse to the ground in pure joy following match point.
“We fought hard for it. I’ve been playing this game for almost 15 years now and I’ve never come as close as this past weekend. I was happy I was able to stay calm and play a good match when I had to.”
It was a contest that lasted a total of 1 hour and 42 minutes, as Federer dispatched Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 with minimal resistance from the former French No. 1. Federer was originally scheduled to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth rubber but Tsonga was forced to bow out of the match with an arm injury. And while Gasquet’s two previous victories over Federer (2-12 h2h against the Swiss No. 1) were on clay, he simply stood no chance against the inspired Federer on this particular occasion.
“Everybody worked really hard to get me match-ready. Stan put in so much effort over the years and he played an unbelievable weekend and that is what gave me the opportunity today. I’m aware of that.
“This one is for the boys.”
With the conclusion of the 2014 season, professional tennis wil resume in 42 days at the start of January in Brisbane, Australia. Federer, who reached the final there this year, will likely return at the start of the season.
