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Spain Davis Cup team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spain
AssociationRFET
CaptainDavid Ferrer
ITF ranking3Steady(6 December 2021)
Highest ITF ranking1 (27 September 2004)
ColorsRed & Yellow
First year1921
Years played85
Ties played (W–L)213 (135–78)
Years in
World Group
34 (46–28)
Davis Cup titles6 (2000,2004,2008,2009,2011,2019)
Runners-up4 (1965,1967,2003,
2012)
Most total winsManuel Santana(92–28)
Most singles winsManuel Santana (69–17)
Most doubles winsManuel Santana (23–11)
Best doubles teamJosé Luis Arilla/
Manuel Santana (15–7)
Most ties playedManuel Santana (46)
Most years playedFeliciano López(15)

TheSpain men's national tennis teamhas representedSpaininternationally since 1920. Organised by theReal Federación Española de Tenis(RFET), it is one of the 50 members ofInternational Tennis Federation's European association (Tennis Europe).

Spain has won the Davis Cup six times (2000,2004,2008,2009,2011,2019), and finished as runner-up four times (1965,1967,2003,2012), which makes it historically one of the most powerful countries in the tennis world.

Spain has competed in the World Group created in1981,for 32 years. From 1997 to 2014, competed for 18 consecutive years, returning in 2017, after winning the World Group playoffs the previous year.

History

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Spain competed in its first Davis Cup in1921but didn't reach the final round until 1965, when the team led byJaime Bartrolílost toAustralia.They reached the final again two years later but though they had great players such asManuel SantanaandManuel Orantes,Spain lost againstRoy Emersonand company again.

Spanish fans had to wait 33 years in2000,to see their team play another Davis Cup final, but this time the Spanish team defeated the Australians inBarcelonawithJuan Carlos Ferreroas national hero. ButLleyton Hewitt,who had been defeated by Ferrero three years before, had his revenge very soon, when Spain lost to Australia again in 2003.

The following year, Spain reached the final once again. It was played inSevilleand for the first time ever, they didn't have to play against Australia. Their opponents were theUnited States,and thanks to great performances fromCarlos Moyáand an 18-year-oldRafael Nadal,Spain won their second Davis Cup.

Spain reached the final once again in2008,and they won againstArgentina.It was the first time that the Spanish team won the final on foreign soil. Unexpectedly, the Spanish heroes wereFernando VerdascoandFeliciano López,winning one single each and the doubles partnering together.David Ferrer,then World Number 5, lost in straight sets toDavid Nalbandianin the only match he played in the final; and Nadal, World Number 1, was injured, and he wasn't able to play inArgentina.

After winning the Davis Cup for the third time,Emilio Sánchezstepped down as captain to allow compatriotAlbert Costatake his place. In 2009, second-seeded Spain cruised to their seventhDavis Cup finalafter home victories againstSerbia,GermanyandIsrael,even though Costa struggled to make a team asRafael NadalandFernando Verdascomissed two ties each. Spain played theCzech Republic,which previously eliminated first-seededArgentina.The final was held in home ground again, where they hadn't lost a tie since1999.Spain swept the Czechs 5–0 atPalau Sant Jordiin Barcelona, behind great performances fromDavid FerrerandRafael Nadalto claim their second consecutive title, and the fourth in ten years.

Spain defeatedArgentinain the2011 final,held for the second time inSeville,by a score of 3–1 to claim their fifth title, and the third in four years.[1]

In 2019, Spain won their sixth title (their first since2011), defeatingCanadain the final 2–0.Rafael Nadalwas awarded the Davis Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy, after he won 8 of the 8 matches he participated in.[2]

Davis Cup wins

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Edition Rounds/Opponents Results
2000 1R:ItalyQF:RussiaSF:United StatesF:Australia 1R:4–1QF:4–1SF:5–0F:3–1
2004 1R:Czech RepublicQF:NetherlandsSF:FranceF:United States 1R:3–2QF:4–1SF:4–1F:3–2
2008 1R:PeruQF:GermanySF:United StatesF:Argentina 1R:5–0QF:4–1SF:4–1F:3–1
2009 1R:SerbiaQF:GermanySF:IsraelF:Czech Republic 1R:4–1QF:3–2SF:4–1F:5–0
2011 1R:BelgiumQF:United StatesSF:FranceF:Argentina 1R:4–1QF:3–1SF:4–1F:3–1
2019 GS:Russia,CroatiaQF:ArgentinaSF:Great BritainF:Canada GS:2-1, 3-0QF:2-1SF:2–1F:2-0

Results

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2000s

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2010s

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2020s

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Current team (2024)

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All players

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References

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  1. ^"Tie Details: Spain defeated Argentina 3–1 in Spain"Davis Cup,12/04/11, accessed 12/04/11
  2. ^"Nadal, MVP de la Copa Davis 2019".Retrieved23 November2019.
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