Switzerland has claimed this year’s Davis Cup title, with compatriots Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka combining to defeat France 3-1 in the final.
It was the first time the Swiss have triumphed in the teams event format, with the 2008 Olympic gold medal winners putting aside their recent differences to beat the world No.2 on their home court in Lille.
The ledger was all square after the opening day, with Wawrinka downing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Gael Monflis accounted for Federer in straight sets.
The doubles rubber was always going to be decisive and Federer and Wawrinka combined beautifully to defeat the favoured French pairing of Richard Gasquet and Julian Benneteau.
Switzerland went into the final day needing to win just one of the two reverse singles, with Federer defeating Gasquet, who stepped in to replace the injured Tsonga, to seal victory.
“I think it’s an amazing day for sports in our country, in Switzerland,” said Federer following his team’s presentation.
“We’re a smaller country. We don’t win big events every other week. So from that standpoint I think it’s a big day.
“I think we have a fantastic team spirit that also is something that maybe people see and appreciate.”
Wawrinka, the reigning Australian Open champion, was similarly proud of the achievement and happy to let his tennis do the talking in the final.
“In the end we spoke with our racquets on the court. That is the explanation of the result. We were better during this weekend.
“We saw how fast things could turn around. In the beginning of the week many things were written about me and Roger, Roger’s back.
“We just stayed calm and prepared well. We did our best on the court. We can be proud of that.”
The win elevates both stars to an elite group of Men’s players to have claimed a grand slam title as well as the Davis Cup.
The pair joining the likes of modern day adversaries Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as well as some of the greats to have played the game such as Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Federer’s coach Stefan Edberg.