What a 2014 Davis Cup Title for the Swiss Would Mean to Roger Federer
Roger Federer has 17 Grand Slams and 80 career ATP titles. Yet there is one title that has eluded him his entire career.
When Switzerland takes on France in the 2014 Davis Cup final in November, Federer has a chance to achieve a first for himself and his country.
Switzerland has never won a Davis Cup title and Federer wants badly to be apart of the team that finally delivers. A Davis Cup win for the Swiss would further cement Federer's already legendary career.
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The Swiss return to the Davis Cup final for the first time since 1992. That year they were defeated by the U.S. dream team of John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
This Swiss team is led by Federer and Stan Wawrinka, winner of the 2014 Australian Open.
The French have some what of a dream team themselves. Winners of nine Davis Cup titles, the French last won in 2001. This year's team includes Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils, Julien Benneteau and Michael LLodra. They upended the defending champions, the Czech Republic, a team that featured Tomas Berdych, Jiri Vesely, Lukas Rosol and Radek Stepanek.
The French will host the final November 21-23. The site and surface have yet to be determined. If it's on clay the French would have an advantage. Clay has been the worst surface for Federer, who has won just one French Open. It's even worse for Wawrinka, who has only advanced beyond the fourth round once at Roland Garros. Wawrinka lost in the first round of the French Open this year.
Still, the Swiss have a solid chance at beating the French. They have the No. 3- and No. 4-ranked players on tour. The issue is the steep drop off in talent behind Federer and Wawrinka. Marco Chiudinelli, ranked No. 163 and Michael Lammer, ranked No. 495, round out the Swiss team. They have a combined 0-3 record in singles in Davis Cup this year.
The best hope for the Swiss is for Federer and Wawrinka to win the first two singles rubbers and then play doubles.
In the Davis Cup semifinals, the Swiss abandoned that plan. Just days after suffering a defeat in the semifinals at the U.S. Open, Federer was in Geneva, where the Swiss hosted Italy. He and Wawrinka got the Swiss off to a 2-0 start by winning their singles matches.
They could have clinched a win in doubles. However, Federer rested and Wawrinka played with Chiudinelli. They lost a five-setter against Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli. Federer finished the Italians off with a win over Fognini. After the win, Federer's teammates hoisted him on their shoulders.
It was the biggest Davis Cup match for the Swiss since 2003, when they fell to Australia in the semifinals.
Federer was fresh off his first Wimbledon win. His childhood coach, Peter Carter, an Australian, had died in a car accident the previous year. Federer reportedly wanted to dedicate a Davis Cup win to Carter. Federer arrived in Australia with high hopes and mixed emotions. He left disappointed.
Federer lost a five-set match to Lleyton Hewitt in reverse singles. He also lost a doubles match in five sets. It was a crushing defeat.
In a recent article in the New York Times, Marc Rosset, the Swiss Davis Cup captain in 2003, told writer David Cox that Federer was devastated. “It was not only about tennis that weekend. I remember sitting next to him in the locker room after he lost to Hewitt and he was going to meet Carter’s parents for the first time. The whole atmosphere was extremely emotional.”
Federer mentioned in 2003 in an interview with ESPN. "After the difficult defeat in 2003 we had another chance this year."
Just getting that chance has meant the world to Federer. With so many goals achieved, dreams come true and trophies earned, the Davis Cup final offers Federer another opportunity to make history. How nice, that in the twilight of his career, Federer finds another first to pursue.
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