Europe led 3-1 after the first day and quickly extended their advantage as Nadal and Federer – the two most successful men in grand slam history with 35 titles between them – both won their singles matches on Saturday afternoon.
Federer brushed aside Sam Querrey 6-2 6-4, but Nadal was made to work harder by another American, Jack Sock, before eventually emerging victorious 6-3 3-6 1-0 (11/9) at the O2 Arena in Prague.
With those matches being worth two points each – double the amount of Friday’s ties – Europe were leading 7-1 heading into the evening session, but John McEnroe’s World side cut the deficit when Australian Nick Kyrgios edged out Tomas Berdych 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 1-0 (10/6).
Following that match came the mouthwatering prospect of seeing European heavyweights Nadal and Federer combine for the first time in a doubles match.
The top two ranked singles players on the planet took the opening set against American pair Querrey and Sock but were humbled in the second, where they won just one game.
However, the all-star pairing stepped up at crunch time to claim a 6-4 1-6 1-0 (10/5) victory which leaves Bjorn Borg’s European team firmly in control going into Sunday’s final day, where the four matches are worth three points each.
“I’m very happy how we played, so much fun,” Federer said on www.lavercup.com.
Nadal added: “We played with too much energy, we went for everything. It was an unbelievable feeling…the support has been a unique moment for us. The crowd, the team the situation everybody was so special.”
The first team to reach 13 points will win the cup. If both teams finish level on 12 points apiece there will be a one-set doubles decider to determine the winner.