The more things change with the Davis Cup, the more they stay the same.
Drama.
That’s always been the constant; probably always will be. It certainly has been this week, with doubles predictably deciding ties left and right in the new format that has been shortened from best-of-five to best-of-three (in terms of both each rubbers and the overall tie).
Canada and Spain survived deciding doubles matches on semifinal Saturday–just as they did in the quarters–to reach the Davis Cup final inside Madrid’s Caja Magica. Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil led the Canadians past Russia in dramatic fashion before Rafael Nadal delivered more magic for the host nation, this time at Great Britain’s expense.
After Pospisil lost to Andrey Rublev and Shapovalov beat Karen Khachanov, the trusty Canadian duo teamed up to outlast Rublev and Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5).
“I’m at a loss for words,” Shapovalov said. “It’s incredible how far we’ve come this week, with me and Vasek playing on a different level. It’s unbelievable to see. And to clinch it like this in the doubles, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“We’re going to try and get a good night’s sleep and rest up tomorrow,” Pospisil assured. “We’ve got a huge day–a historic day for us tomorrow–and we’re going to leave it all out there.”
To say it won’t be easy against Nadal-led Spain would be a gross understatement. Of course, nothing has been easy for the Spaniards this week, either. Adversity has struck far too often, most notably in the form of the death of Roberto Bautista Agut’s father. Pablo Carreno Busta and Marcel Granollers are both less than 100 percent physically; the same can perhaps be said of Felciano Lopez.
But speaking of constants, Nadal has risen to the occasion time and time again to pull his team off the canvas. Facing a must-win situation in singles following Lopez’s loss to Kyle Edmund, the world No. 1 eased Dan Evans 6-4, 6-0. He proceeded to partner Lopez and pretty much carry the 38-year-old to a 7-6(3), 7-6(8) triumph over Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski.
“This competition is dramatic and with this new format even more,” Nadal noted. “It was very close, we were not able to have not one break throughout the whole match, I think we played a great match. Feli served amazing and I think in the important moments he did everything well. We are super, super happy, has been an amazing and unforgettable evening for all of us.”
Added Lopez, “For me, personally, this is something that I will never expect. I’m 38 years old. I’m playing the last years of my career probably. And, honestly, I never thought that I will have the opportunity to play another Davis Cup Finals, first of all, in Madrid, and playing today the deciding point with Rafa to be in the final.
“So I’m living a dream, to be honest. This is the truth.”
Canada vs. Spain
Projected singles 1: Denis Shapovalov vs. Rafael Nadal
Projected singles 2: Vasek Pospisil vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Projected doubles: Shapovalov/Pospisil vs. Nadal/Lopez
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