An undeniable, if brief, smile sneaked onto Ivan Lendl's face as the end drew near on Sunday. His silent surrender spoke volumes about just how big the moment was.
Minutes later, Radek Stepanek fell to his knees as Nicolas Almagro's final backhand fell short into the net, sealing a 6-4, 7-6 (0), 3-6, 6-3 victory over Spain in Prague's O2 Arena to give the Czech Republic its first Davis Cup title since it became an independent nation in 1993.
The feat caps a year of unprecedented success for the small landlocked nation, which has long punched above its weight in tennis. The Czechs had already won the 2012 Hopman Cup (led by Tomas Berdych and Petra Kvitova) and the Fed Cup (won by Kvitova and Lucie Safarova two weekends earlier on the same court). With the Davis Cup title, the Czech Republic became the first country to sweep the three team competitions in one year.
Though it consistently produces tennis champions dating to past greats like Jan Kodes and Martina Navratilova, the country of about 10 million lacks a single ATP or WTA tournament.
Still on his knees, Stepanek was joined by his team, including Berdych, who had beaten Almagro in a grueling five-setter Friday to give the Czechs their first point. Berdych and Stepanek paired to win the doubles rubber on Saturday as well, part of a championship run that saw those two play every live point for the Czechs, as they had done frequently over the past several years of the competition.
Communist-era Czechoslovakia won the Davis Cup in 1980, led by Lendl before his defection to the United States.
"I was dreaming about it my whole life," Stepanek said shortly after his victory. "You know, today I am standing here as a winner, we are standing here as a team as Davis Cup champions."
Stepanek then pointed to the trophy, as if to remind to himself that he had actually won the Davis Cup.
"It's amazing," he continued. "We did something historic here today in our country, and I cannot describe what I'm feeling right now."
David Ferrer, the dogged fifth-ranked Spaniard, had beaten both Stepanek and Berdych in straight sets, shellacking a visibly fatigued Berdych, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, in the fourth rubber Sunday afternoon to level the final at 2-2 and force the decisive fifth match. But Ferrer's contribution proved insufficient to give the dynastic Spanish team what would have been its fourth title in five years.
The 10th-ranked Almagro, largely a clay court specialist, could not beat No. 6 Berdych or No. 37 Stepanek on the quick indoor surface that the Czech federation had constructed.
"If he's nominated, he will be the weak point on which we can build our victory," Berdych said of Almagro beforehand. "He's missing that little something that distinguishes great players."
Stepanek, who will turn 34 this month, used his experience to take advantage of the fast surface, executing his shots from the frontcourt. Stepanek, who won the men's doubles title at the 2012 Australian Open and is ranked fourth in doubles, won 67 percent of his ventures to the net (41 of 62) in the match, even serving-and-volleying occasionally.
Wearing a blue shirt that featured a large golden-tongued, double-tailed lion borrowed from the Czech coat of arms, Stepanek came back from a 4-2 deficit in the second set to eventually sweep through a tiebreaker and gain command of the match.
"I was playing very aggressive today; I didn't want to have left anything behind," Stepanek said. "I wanted to be the one who is active, who is controlling the game, who is more active, and it paid off."
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