Spain to Play Argentina in Davis Cup Finals After Nadal Win Over Tsonga

September 19, 2011 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Rafael_Nadal_01
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Spain’s Rafael Nadal defeated France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4, to lead Spain into the finals of the Davis Cup. Nadal had doubts going into the match, complaining about tiredness and fatigue, but showed no weakness as he took on the number 10-ranked Frenchman in the semifinals match. Tsonga was a replacement for Gilles Simon on the French team. "Simply put, Rafa was just too good this weekend," Tsonga said. "He’s the best player ever on clay court, I think, he’s practically unbeatable on this surface and today we didn’t create the exception."

Spain will play host to Argentina in the Davis Cup finals in early December. Argentina advanced after Novak Djokovic retired to Juan Martin Del Potro of the Argentinian team.

Tsonga won 32 titles on clay in his career, however his inconsistent play led to a loss in just 2 hours and 17 min.

"You might think it gets easier to win but it doesn’t," said Nadal. Also stating that, "Thanks to the excellent relations inside the team, the Spanish players have stayed united over the years to keep winning."

Nadal, who had complained of fatigue after a rough weather-impacted schedule at the 2011 U.S. Open and four-plus hour match again Djokovic in the Open finals, was re-energized against Tsonga where he had only eight unforced errors the entire match. Tsonga did start with an ace, however from there, Nadal would take the match without a tough fight. Going into the final, Valencia and Madrid have shown interest in being the host city for the event in Spain.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
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