Rafael Nadal clinched an emotional Davis Cup victory for Spain over Canada when he beat Denis Shapovalov in front of a jubilant home crowd in Madrid.
His 6-3 7-6 (9-7) win sealed the title, with Roberto Bautista Agut returning to the team three days after his father’s death to put the hosts 1-0 up.
Bautista Agut was in tears after beating 19-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in the opener.
Nadal’s win gave Spain an unassailable 2-0 lead and a sixth Davis Cup title.
The world number one has won all eight of his rubbers this week to help Spain to a first title since 2011 and ensure local fans were celebrating at the end of the inaugural edition of the competition’s revamped version.
“When you have this moment it is difficult to describe with words – so many feelings, so many emotions you have never felt,” Spain captain Sergi Bruguera told Eurosport.
“Unbelievable. Imagine Roberto yesterday was in the funeral of his father, now he is here giving everything – the mentality, the spirit, giving everything for his team.
“Rafa, he is out of this world, I don’t know if he is an alien or what. Not one day we went to sleep before 3am this week.”
The new format has featured 18 teams playing in a week-long event in the Spanish capital, with a round-robin group stage followed by knockout rounds. Under the old system, teams played home and away ties through the year.
Rafael Nadal had not lost a Davis Cup singles match since 2004 and it was always going to be a tough task for Shapovalov to send the tie to a deciding doubles rubber.
Nadal, who this year won the French Open and US Open to take his total to 19 Grand Slam titles, dominated the first set before the 20-year-old Shapovalov got himself back into the match to force a second-set tie-break.
The youngster saved two match points with blistering back-to-back winners and fashioned a set point of his own, but finally succumbed when he netted a forehand.
Nadal dropped to the ground before being mobbed by his team-mates. When he finally got to his feet, he held aloft Bautista Agut in a tight embrace as the cheers rang out.
“An amazing week, a lot of things we went through – the father of Roberto passed away… a lot of things happened,” Nadal said.
“I could not be happier. It has been an unforgettable moment in this amazing stadium; we can’t thank the crowd enough. Our team spirit prevails.”
