Davis Cup Final—Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal improved his year-to-date record to 66-14 on Sunday, defeating an over-matched Jan Hajek 6-3, 6-4 in the final day of Davis Cup competition.

Nadal, who defeated Tomas Berdych on Friday, remained in complete control of his No. 102 ranked opponent on Sunday, breaking once in the first set in the third game to lead 3-0, and subsequently in the ninth game of the second set to lead 5-4.

Serving out the straight set win, Nadal ended his 2009 campaign with the same flourish he began it—winning a major tournament.

After capturing his sixth Grand Slam title in Melbourne, Nadal continued his stellar start to the season by winning four further titles.

However, knee and family concerns derailed the Spaniard's year from the French Open onwards, as he lost in the fourth round of Roland Garros and was not able to defend his title at the All England Club.

Continuing to battle both on- and off-court troubles, Nadal remained in good spirits throughout the summer and fall seasons, winning his fair share of matches, but losing to bigger, stronger hitters on a frequent basis.

Arriving in Barcelona in an attempt to capture a Davis Cup victory, the Mallorcan had endured perhaps his worst form in recent years, having lost four straight matches.

Finding both his footing and confidence on Friday, Nadal seemed to have recaptured his winning ways after improving to 12-1 in Davis Cup singles competition, and 12-0 on clay courts.

In fact, Nadal has now captured every major title in tennis, excluding the US Open and World Tour Finals. His Davis Cup victory on home turf was both well met and well analyzed after his victory over Hajek.

“To finish the second half of the season with this ending is very important and nice, especially after all of the problems I had over those two months,” the Australian Open champion said about the knee injuries that sidelined him for the middle part of the year.

“You have to be sure to enjoy these moments when they happen because you don’t know when the next victory will come.”

Nadal will now enjoy a few days off before resuming training for his Australian Open defense. The defense of his hard court Grand Slam could be turbulent, and Nadal will undoubtedly have to address his court positioning if he is to claim victory Down Under.

“I feel great,” said Nadal, who finished his season with $5.5 million in winnings. “I don’t have any problems.”

Nadal's Davis Cup confidant David Ferrer closed out the day's affairs by brushing aside US Open and French Open doubles champ Lukas Dlouhy 6-4, 6-2.

The win for Ferrer added to his miraculous win over Radek Stepanek on Friday—a win which saw Ferrer comeback from two sets to defeat his persistent Czech opponent. 

On paper Ferrer's win on Sunday may have seemed insignificant, but from a historical perspective the victory propelled the Spanish team to a 5-0 triumph—the first time since 1997 that a Davis Cup final had been won 5-0.

Team captain Albert Costa, who has won the Davis Cup title both as a player and now as a leader, reflected on his squad's resounding form throughout the season.

“It may look like routine but I think to win the Davis Cup two years in a row is spectacular,” said Costa. 

“We need to talk about this a lot…we need to remember. It’s important.”

“Today’s win was more emotional than when I won it as a player,” reflected Costa.

Well folks, that ends another sublime year of men's tennis. It's been a grueling year for all who were concerned, and it won't be too long before we're at it again with the 2010 season.

Please check back throughout the coming weeks for a few articles reflecting back on the 2009 season.

Thanks for being a part of another historic year of tennis; talk soon.