Rafael Nadal has his sparkle back.
The World No 2 experienced the winning feeling again for the first time since August as he inspired Spain to Davis Cup victory in Barcelona and loved every moment.
Nadal - back on track after a knee injury - began his opening singles match against the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych very tentatively but then, in front of a passionate home crowd, stormed to victory in the manner we've come to expect over the years.
Taste of success: Nadal savours Spain's successful defence
He even played a part in the crucial second singles match between David Ferrer and Radek Stepanek, who raced into a two-sets-to- nil lead before his opponent - outclassed up until then - worked his way back into the match.
Ferrer rallied after a gee-up from Nadal and skipper Albert Costa and, as Stepanek started to get tight, secured an epic victory in five sets.
I think the weekend proved that Davis Cup tennis is in a healthy state and doesn't require wholesale changes.
Barry Cowan
Quotes of the week
The result changed the whole momentum of the final. The Spanish, 2-0 up, knew the title was as good as won going into the doubles because there was no way Nadal was going to lose his second singles match to Jan Hajek.
Consolation
Given his perfect 5-0 record with Berdych, Stepanek had to turn out for the doubles tie against Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco despite his draining first-day defeat.
The first two sets could have gone either way but the Czechs quickly went into their shell after losing both - they realised from that point that it was going to be nigh-on impossible to get back into the match and so it proved.
Should the trophy have been presented there and then? Ideally, yes. In sport you want to live the moment and the winning moment was definitely at 3-0 after the doubles.
But that would have been very tough on fans that had tickets for the third day. Hopefully the consolation of seeing the ceremony softened the blow of watching two dead rubbers.
Passionate
I think the weekend proved that Davis Cup tennis is in a healthy state and doesn't require wholesale changes.
Once again, there has been talk bout whether the format should mirror football's World Cup - that is, played over three to four weeks every four years.
Admittedly I am a traditionalist but even if I wasn't I'd struggle to see that working.
In football, thousands of passionate fans are willing to travel the world to support their team but we don't have the numbers in tennis to fill neutral venues. If America hosted a final between Croatia and Spain, would we experience get the same atmosphere as we had in Barcelona? I seriously doubt it.
Jubilation
What's more the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body, is a non-profit organisation in charge of a Davis Cup model that works. Why risk it for the sake of change?
The ITF tinkered with the Federation Cup back in 2005, introducing home-and-away league fixtures, and to my mind the competition still hasn't recovered.
While it's true that some Davis Cup years may not be as good as others, when judged over a long period of time it's clear the format works. All of the top players, almost without exception, play at some point and the competition still inspires passion and jubilation.
Just one look at Rafa's face was proof of that.
Comments (3)
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Allen Cooper says...
I want to welcome RAFA back to the game after a long, long time off the court with knee problems and wish him all the best in Melbourne . SLAM those other guys like you did last year. Allen Cooper
Posted 20:36 14th January 2010
Gerard Lambe says...
I believe Nadal could really be back to his best as this victory will help him especially for confidence. I can't wait to see him in melbourne defend his title. I also think it would be a good idea to set the davis cup over a 4 week period
Posted 23:23 21st December 2009
Chris Cottrell says...
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY IT'S GREAT NEWS TO HEAR RAFA NADAL IS BACK TO HIS WINNING WAYS ONCE AGAIN.
Posted 01:48 20th December 2009
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