Andy Roddick searched out Carlos Moya in the throng of jumping,
screaming Spanish tennis players, hoping to shake hands.
Moya had just beaten Roddick 6-2, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5) Sunday to clinch
Spain's second Davis Cup title — and extend the U.S. team's drought in
tennis' top team competition.
"When someone accomplishes something like the Spanish team did today,
you have to respect that and give them their due credit," Roddick said.
"They did a great job."
Holding back tears, Moya ran over and reached up through a rail to
greet Prince Felipe, heir to the Spanish throne, and his wife, Princess
Letizia.
"The Davis Cup is my dream," Moya said. "I can't ask for more. There is
nothing bigger than what I've lived today."
His victory over Roddick on the slow, red clay
that dulls the American's powerful serves
and forehands put Spain up 3-1 in the
best-of-five series. In the closing match, Olympic silver medalist Mardy
Fish defeated Tommy Robredo 7-6 (8), 6-2 to make it 3-2.
U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe was counting on
getting two wins in singles from Roddick, who won the 2003 U.S. Open and
finished that year atop the rankings. Spain figured to have the edge,
because of the surface and the drum-thumping din of 27,200
red-and-yellow-clad fans at Olympic Stadium.
Instead, Roddick went 0-2; he lost in four sets Friday to 18-year-old
Rafael Nadal. While nothing Nadal or Moya did should have been
particularly surprising to Roddick, he was startled in Sunday's third set
when a man known in Spain for self-promotion ran onto the court. He tried
to put a red hat on Moya's head but was quickly taken away.
"My heart jumped when I first saw it," Roddick said.
Spain took a 2-0 lead in Friday singles, and only one team — Australia
in 1939 — has come back from that deficit to win the Davis Cup. But twins
Bob and Mike Bryan took the doubles Saturday, giving the United States a
shot.
"We could have won it this year," McEnroe said. "We needed the swing of
just a few points. But the ultimate goal — we haven't quite reached it
yet."
McEnroe asked Andre Agassi to play this final, but he declined.
"For Andre, the door is always open," McEnroe said. "He's never
completely shut the door, at least to me."
The Americans have won the Davis Cup 31 times, but not since 1995 —
their longest gap since the one between titles in 1926 and 1937.
Moya, a former No. 1 and the 1998 French Open
champion, missed Spain's 2000 Davis Cup championship with an injury. He
lost three times before to Roddick — all on hard courts — but played the
match of his life Sunday.
He broke
in Roddick's first two service games. After that it was even,
but Moya's steady groundstrokes and deft drop shots kept Roddick guessing.
When Roddick tried to come in, Moya lobbed him or passed him. At times,
Roddick had to serve with drums thumping and fans screaming.
"You look up and there are people for as far as you can see going nuts
and cheering," Roddick said. "This weekend is unlike anything I have
experienced before."
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-06 11:05
