Nadal ends season on high with Davis Cup triumph

RAFAEL Nadal's rollercoaster season has ended on a high after Spain defended their Davis Cup crown in Barcelona.

ENDING ON A HIGH: An injury-plagued season ends on a high for Rafael Nadal as he lifts the Davis Cup with his Spanish teammates in Barcelona (Getty Images)

The world number two and David Ferrer had put the Spanish in pole position against Czech Republic with two gutsy singles wins on Friday.

And Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez made no mistake in sealing the win in Saturday's doubles to recapture the trophy they lifted last year and become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Sweden defended the prize in 1998.

Verdasco was thought to be carrying an injury after captain Albert Costa opted for Ferrer in the opening singles rubbers.

But the world number nine showed no signs of fatigue as he and Lopez downed Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, battling through two tight first sets before crushing the Czech duo in the third to win 7-6, 7-5, 6-2.

The victory will come as the perfect antidote to an indifferent season for Nadal in which the knee tendinitis, which kept him out of last year's Davis Cup win, also prevented him from defending his Wimbledon crown.

 

Berdych and Stepanek were undefeated as a Davis Cup pair until this defeat and showed why they have such a strong doubles record by breaking immediately back after losing serve early in the first set.

Verdasco and Lopez were thriving on the energy in front of their home crowd but every time it looked like they were going to turn the screw, the Czech pair responded with winners of their own.

Even in the first set tie-break the two teams were inseparable with Berdych and Stepanek wasting a set point at 7-6 before the Spaniards steamed through the next three points to take the opener.

The second set was played in a similar vein with the Czech duo looking slightly the stronger but failing to fashion a break of serve.

Spain punished their opponents' lack of killer instinct at the business end of the set.  Three volley errors from Berdych handed Verdasco and Lopez the break at 5-5 before a commanding service game from Lopez sealed a 2-0 lead.

The third set was more of a formality for the Spanish, as their opponents began to tire, perhaps feeling the effects of their singles rubbers on Friday.

A break in the first game set the tone before a second break at 3-1 virtually ended the match.

The Czech duo held on to their serve one more time but never looked like breaking back and Lopez held his nerve at 5-2 to serve out for a memorable win.