Nando Brings Home The Bacon

What an incredible victory for Spain. But it is tinged with a few bittersweet notes, in my opinion. Not that Spain didn't deserve their win, because they wholeheartedly did, but there is some sadness among the gladness, and not just for Argentina.

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First, the health of Juan Martin del Potro. He was obviously pretty badly injured, considering he chose not to play or was sidelined or whatever in the reverse singles. Would the story have been different if he had been fully fit? I like to think not, because I don't want to take anything away from the achievements of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, who were both outstanding this weekend. But I'm sure that seed of doubt will linger in a few minds for some time to come.

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And secondly, poor David Ferrer. I was all geared up for him to bring home the bacon today - not that he had to make up for losing to Nalbandian, because there's no shame in that, but it would have been nice if he could have had a second chance, so to speak. I wonder how difficult it was for Emilio Sanchez to make the decision to play Verdasco instead of Ferrer - and how Ferru reacted? Tennis is not by nature a team sport - rejection is not something players would often have an opportunity to cope with. Losing, yes, but not even being allowed the opportunity to lose? Poor Ferru. He was part of the winning team, all right, but he was the 1, not the 3. Tremendous as Fernando Verdasco's victory was, for it to come sort at the expense of Ferrer was, for me, bittersweet. I love Ferrer's style of play and he seems like such a nice bloke. It's great that he won Davis Cup and all, but I don't think he made any progress in coming out from Rafa's shadow. I'm sad he didn't get his chance.

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But how can one ignore the way that Lopez and Verdasco came through bigtime? I talked about Fidgiano yesterday, so let's talk Nando today - what a victory that was over Acasuso! Isn't it strange, the way the biggest event in world team tennis can come down to a match between two men who are essentially journeymen: neither have been or probably never will be near the top ten, and yet what a spectacle they put on! I always go on about how un-patriotic I am in terms of tennis and how it's about the individual not the nation, but I really think that the nationalistic element of Davis Cup really spurs the players on to excellence. In normal tour tennis, sure, you're playing for your country to a degree, but mostly you're playing for yourself. In Davis Cup, you've got a country behind (or at least the part of your country that pays attention to tennis, however meagre it may be.) This match between Verdasco and Acasuso was a real thriller, a popcorn match. You have to feel for Acasuso as well - this isn't the first time he's been the losing guy in a deciding rubber. You only have to think back to Argentina vs. Russia, Davis Cup final '06. But Nando really pulled it out. I bet his lovely girlfriend Mademoiselle Ivanovic will be pleased.

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This proves that Spanish tennis isn't all Rafa - just like Stan Wawrinka proved this year that Swiss tennis isn't all Roger. Fidgiano and Nando have been round for a while and they've done a whole heap of good stuff, but they just brought home the Davis Cup for their country, with no help from Rafa at all. Congratulations, guys - and congratulations to David Ferrer and Marcel Granollers and Emilio Sanchez and the whole team. Spain is the deepest country in men's tennis right now - and they've got the enormous trophy to prove it.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup (Mar del Plata)

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Spain 3, Argentina 1

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Fernando Verdasco def. Jose Acasuso, 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 6-3 6-1