Federer Adds Another Jewel to His Crown

In a season in which he mounted a stunning comeback to top form, all-time great Roger Federer added another jewel to his crown, when he led his nation to its first Davis Cup trophy.

Although he did not win a major, Federer enjoyed a superb 2014. In addition to the epic Wimbledon final—which he lost in 5 sets to Djokovic—the Swiss claimed 2 Masters 1000 titles (i.e. Cincinnati and Shanghai) and made the final at the Season's Ending Championships—where he controversially forfeited a few minutes before the final against Djokovic. Many have believed the decision was meant to maximize his chances of playing against France in the Davis Cup final. Bothered by a severe back injury since the start of the week, Federer withdrew from a tournament for just the third time in his career. Despite the seriousness of the issue, Roger's camp was adamant he will be fit for the big battle. 

To be fit is one thing, while to be able to bring home the trophy is a completely different story. As a matter of fact, it was the Australian Open champion who delivered the goods for his country by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to compensate for Federer's surprise loss to Gael Monfils. "Stan has put in so much effort over the years. He played an unbelievable weekend and that is what gave me the opportunity today," said Federer.

Although there have been discussions of a row between the two Swiss greats, the duo put a stop to the rumours by teaming up to put Switzerland in front following a victory in the double. Rejuvenated by the result, Federer crushed Richard Gasquet to conquer Switzerland's first Davis Cup crown.

"For me personally, obviously I'm unbelievably happy because I've been playing in this competition for probably almost 15 years now. At the end of the day I wanted it more for the guys. This one is for the boys," said a teary Federer after closing out a 6-4 6-2 6-2 victory over Gasquet. "This is not for me, I have won enough. I am just happy we can give everyone in our country a historic moment."

For Federer, the triumph marks the completion of a golden career. Having won all four Grand Slam and the Olympic gold, he has now strengthen his credentials as the world's greatest player of all time. "It was definitely one of the better feelings in my career, no doubt about it," he said. "So much nicer to celebrate it all together. 

"So thanks for running up to me and screaming in my ear. It was good fun."

I want to see Federer lift at least another Slam next year, while also making an emphatic return to world No.1. Let's do this, champ! #Federermagic

Federer and Wawrinka dismissed rumors of a feud when they teamed up to dismiss Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet and put Switzerland in front.

The doubles victory put Federer in an excellent position to bring home Switzerland's first Davis Cup trophy. The all time great dismissed Richard Gasquet to complete the job and make history for his country.

Michael Lammer, Marco Chiudinelli, Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer, and captain Severin Luthi (from left to right) made history for Switzerland by claiming the country's first Davis Cup trophy.

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The Czech A-Teams

Although the Czech Republic has given so many great tennis champions in previous years, recently the country failed to produced the same amount of talent. Martina Navratilova, Iva Lendl,  Hana Mandlikova or Jana Novotna are all legends of the game, but after their retirement, their place was hard to fill.

However with Kvitova's stunning triumph at Wimbledon and Berdych's sudden glimpses of magic, the nation finally got something to cheer about. The duo showed their class in the beginning of the season, teaming up to win the mixed-doubles event in Perth. They were imperious in winning the Hopman Cup, disposing of the Frenchmen Marion Bartoli and Richard Gasquet in the final.

The successes kept on coming for the Czech, as Kvitova and co. successfully defended their Fed Cup title. It was Safarova though who clinched the final victory over Serbia, as she defeated both former number 1s, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, to bring in two vital points. 

Inspired by their female counterparts performance, the Czech squad lead by Berdych was determined to end Spain's reign in the Davis Cup and collect the country's first trophy as an independent nation. To help their cause, Corretja's team was deprived of its main superstar, Nadal continuing to be sidelined by the knee injury that forced him to miss the second half of the season. However, with Ferrer in hot form and Almagro as the supporting actor, the Spaniards were not to be dismissed easily.

Day 1 saw the two nations tied at 1-1, with Berdych beating Almagro in a five set thriller, while Ferrer cruised passed Stepanek. The doubles match proved vital in determining the winner. Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez were starting as hot favourites having just claimed the ATP World Tour Championships in London, but old fox Stepanek was yet to say his last word. He and Berdych produced a superb performance to recover from the loss of the opening set to stun the Spaniards 3-6,7-5,7-5,6-3. Stepanek was top notch on Sunday too, scoring the decisive point with a four set victory over Nicolas Almagro.

With Berdych losing in straight sets to Ferrer it was up to Radek to clinch the win and his older compatriot did not waste the opportunity. "I was dreaming about it my whole life and now we're standing here as Davis Cup champions, it's amazing," Stepanek said. "I had a lot of chances in the second set. I was playing very aggressive today; I wanted to be the one who was more active. Even though I lost the third set, I had no doubt about my tactics. I came on the court with a mindset that I had to stay calm, hungry and concentrated. That's what I did tremendously well today."

Having won all the team trophies in 2012, the Czech Republic has established itself as the dominant force in the world.

Radek Stepanek, Tomas Berdych, Ivo Minar and Lukas Rosol respectively, won Czech Republic's first Davis Cup trophy since the country's independence. They beat Spain 3-2 in front of a magnified crowd in Prague.

Earlier this month, Lucie Safarova, Petra Kvitova and doubles specialists, Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, won the Fed Cup final against Serbia. Former world number 1s, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, were unable to cope with an inspired Safarova, who brought in two decisive points. 

At the start of the season, Petra Kvitova teamed up with Tomas Berdych to win the Hopman Cup in a final against Marion Bartoli and Richard Gasquet of France.

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Giant Isner Carries US Through

The US team has beat all the odds as it achieved a surprising qualification into the Davis Cup semifinals and it was one particular player who has done the damage, namely the Giant John Isner. Facing Roger Federer's Switzerland on their home claycourts in Fribourg, the Americans started as the underdogs. However, an inspired Isner produced the shocker, bringing in the decisive point after surprisingly beating Federer in four sets. 

The victory rekindled an old flame in Isner and, when their next opponents chose the claycourts of Monte Carlo as the venue for their clash, the crush evolved into a genuine love affair. In a time when the red dirt has allegedly become faster than grass, it should come as no surprise that big servers like Isner feel more at ease on this surface. He showed just how well his game suits the clay when dealing with the French. Being once more the star of the American squad he recorded a straight sets success over Gilles Simon in the first day, to then score decisively after succumbing home nation's number 1, the exuberant Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in four acts. Courtesy of his wins, Jim Courier's team got an unexpected date with defending champions Spain in the last four. With the tie being held abroad, it is expected that the Spanish will pick their favourite surface, giving John another chance to shine on clay. It remains to be seems how will the American respond to the challenge, the Spaniard being renowned for their claycourt mastership. 

Nevertheless, with an impressive tally of big wins under his belt, Isner's season is starting to catch momentum. He is definitely building a strong reputation on clay that indicates him as a fierce contestant for next month's Roland Garros crown.

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