No, in fact, it is not in 5 sets, but in 3 small ones, led at full speed, beautifully drawn by his artistic palette, that Roger Federer won against a Richard Gasquet called into the ring of the Cup Davis in place of Tsonga, but without gloves. “I remember how much people whistled at Rodg' when he entered the fieldSeverin Lüthi testifies today. The public then reacted to the complaints of the French, who had previously felt that Roger was supported. At that moment, he said to me: “Isn't that what we always wanted, to be whistled because we are leading 2-1 in the Davis Cup final?” It's not that he wanted to be whistled, but that he wanted to find himself in this position, so close to winning the event…“
Pumped up, the Basel player destroys his opponent 6-4 6-2 6-2. “It was our 15th confrontation and “Rodg” had never seemed so strong to me“, (the Biterrois despairs. The Basel resident effectively delivers the last spark of the weekend, a perfect score, concluded at 3:03 p.m., Lille time, with a delicious backhand cushioning. The gesture allows him to collapse from emotions all along on the court, but it is France who is on the ground and Switzerland definitely in paradise.It's huge, it's huge, it's huge“, repeats Marc Rosset, finalist in 1992, at the RTS microphone.
“This day is unreal“, enthuses Severin Lüthi, captain whose merits are indisputable. Federer also appreciates the moment, but above all he wants to pay tribute to Stan Wawrinka, the great man of Lille. “I am happy for Swiss tennis, for our fans, but especially for Stan, who has given so much for the team all these last years and this whole weekendslips the man with 17 Grand Slam titles at the time. He deserves all the praise.”
These logically fall on the shoulders of the Vaudois, who became a completely different player in this year 2014, which was that of all his exploits. Wawrinka even becomes the host of a tasty victory press conference, which sees the Swiss more than happy after having visibly toasted well. “They had put the bottles of champagne in the French locker room, but they quickly put them back in ours“, he smiles.
Often provoked by the French in the weeks preceding this final, Wawrinka returned their barbs after kissing the Silver Salad Bowl. “In the end, we, the Swiss, spoke with our racket, on the court, and that's what made the difference“. Words that do not please the Blues, who find themselves “hugging” the Vaudois during the closing meal, as he recounts this Sunday in the documentary to follow on RTS 1 (6:25 p.m.). “It was ridiculous and pathetic, like that famous dinner we have after a Davis Cup final. They didn't like my comments, but they had forgotten everything they had said to the press during the two months which had preceded this final…“
Far from the Blues, the tension of London is forgotten for the Swiss troop. “We got upset because of the emotions of the matchthe Vaudois will relate a few years later, but we knew how to let the night and the following day pass without seeing each other, then we were able to discuss and put our common objective back at the center. This little argument was not going to disrupt our desire to win.”
And so it was with a real collective enthusiasm, fueled by Lüthi, that Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka went to land on the roof of the world. Sometimes divided, Switzerland suddenly found itself, thanks to them, united around a German-speaking and a French-speaking man who embody its values better than anyone else. “This will remain a week apart from all those I have experienced in my career“, appreciates the Basel resident today.
The two men – to whom we must add Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer (winner of the doubles in Serbia in the first round) – have undoubtedly composed the greatest collective success in the history of Swiss sport. And what could be better than having won it on the lands of a real tennis nation, which then had 9 Davis Cup titles to its name?
TEXTS: Arnaud Cerutti
Television interviews 2024: Isabelle Musy
