Davis Cup: Feliciano Lopez, of all people!
The main role on Saturday night in Madrid, of course, was due to Rafael Nadal. But Feliciano Lopez also contributed to the Spanish entry into the final of the Davis Cup final tournament.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Nov 24, 2019, 10:07 am
The twists and turns of tennis sport are sometimes peculiar: Feliciano Lopez gave the British tennis fans in June 2019 perhaps the most beautiful moment of the tennis year, by joining forces with returnee Andy Murray the double competition in the ATP Tour 500 tournament at Queen's Club has brought (and by the way, as well as single). And then it was Feli Lopez who crushed Britain's ambitions for the next Davis Cup success after 2015. With the great help of Rafael Nadal, no question. And with Andy Murray very close, but on the other side of the net.
Lopez had slipped into the role of the second single player after Nadal only due to the tragic circumstances surrounding Roberto Bautista-Agut, whose father has died in recent days, and the indisposition of Pablo Carreno Busta. That the 38-year-old hits the ball well, Lopez has proved at the US Open, where he has tortured the eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev over four sets in the third round. After that, however, not much has come, only Cameron Norrie, of course, a Briton, had to stretch in Antwerp against Lopez weapons.
Bruguera and Nadal choose Lopez
Against Kyle Edmund now held Feli Lopez properly, but could not bring the Spaniards the first point. In the Caja Magical therefore, in which the left-hander recently also as Tournament Director firmiert - the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the spring. The fact that Lopez was actually allowed to play in the deciding double was by no means set: in the quarter-finals, Sergi Bruguera had chosen Marcel Granollers as his partner for Nadal.
But against Neal Skupski and Jamie Murray, the Spaniards brought their two lefties, who also understand themselves well next to the place. The pictures taken by Lopez around the world after Nadal's wedding ceremony suggest this. And so the match against the British degenerated into a didactic piece of communication on the court, with Nadal as the opinion leader. And Feliciano Lopez as an equal veteran, who in 2016 had already won a Grand Slam victory in doubles: with Marc Lopez, who sat in the audience in Madrid.
How the mixed situation now looks against the Canadians on Sunday, will show. Looking at the individual performances of Rafael Nadal, the Spanish number one, and Vasek Pospisil, the Canadian number two, it is not excluded that the decision again falls in double. Then the next big hour could beat Feliciano Lopez.