Two cherished Spaniards, Rafael Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut, beat Canada 2-0 to win the 2019 Davis Cup in front of a capacity home crowd on a night of soaring emotions in the aptly named Caja Mágica.
Bautista Agut, whose tennis has uncannily intermingled with his personal life over the past 18 months, returned on Sunday evening after the death of his father on Thursday to win the first rubber, grinding down the outstanding teenager Félix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (3), 6-3 in an hour and 49 minutes and setting up Nadal to finish the job.
The world No 1 ensured the doubles would not be needed when he overcame the spirited challenge of the promising Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (7). In a tense finish Shapovalov saved two match points before Nadal forced a final tired forehand from him at the end of an exhausting week.
It was Canada’s first final after more than a century of trying, Spain’s sixth Davis Cup triumph, Nadal’s eighth win from eight matches here and his 31st win in a row in the competition. King Felipe was among the thousands present who acclaimed him but the decorated Mallorcan could lay claim to being the real King of Spain. His hair is thinning but his crown is secure.
After going directly to his opponents’ bench to shake hands, Nadal, who has lost one match in 15 years of Davis Cup competition, went centre court to drink the applause of the Spanish fans.
Bautista Agut earlier struggled to contain his emotions as he was embraced by his teammates and cheered by those in the audience familiar with his difficult circumstances. “It was very special on the court today,” he said of the reception. “I just go out on the court and give my best. I am very happy that I could win.”
He rarely gives anything less than his best but sometimes that has been difficult for the immensely likeable man from Castellón de la Plana.
When he lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets in the third round of the French Open last year, a week after his mother died, Bautista Agut said: “My life is tennis. I’m used to going inside the court and forgetting about my real life and try to do my work.”
Last summer at Wimbledon he reached the semi-finals against even his own expectations, again losing in four sets to Djokovic. Bautista Agut was so sure he could not go deep on the grass of the All England Club he had booked a bachelor party in Ibiza that week with friends while his fiancée, Ana Bodi Tortosa – who was courtside on Sunday night – was being fitted for her wedding dress.
They will marry this week.
For Spain, victory put a seal of approval on the new format devised and executed by the Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, who, like his friend Nadal, mixed tennis and football as a boy before devoting his talent to his chosen sport.
Piqué’s idea of an 18-team finals week, mimicking the football World Cup, drained a lot of players of mental and physical energy, not to mention those hardcore fans who stayed to watch the many matches that finished after midnight.
For Nadal, Bautista Agut and Spain, the wait for Sunday night was worth it.
Feliciano Lopez said later of Nadal: “Rafa is a super hero. Last night and today again he does things the rest of us just don’t do.”