Dwight Davis's silver bowl ends 2004 metaphorically draped in the red and yellow of Spain, after the south-west European nation picked up its second Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title with victory over the USA in Seville.
The history books will record Spain having won 3-2, but it was all over once Carlos Moya had beaten Andy Roddick 62 76(1) 76(5) to give the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead. It was only the third time since the Final Round was established in 1972 that a nation has won the Final despite losing the doubles rubber, as the Spanish did on Saturday when the Bryan brothers demolished Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo. Today, Mardy Fish put some American respectability into the scoreline with a 76(8) 62 win over Tommy Robredo in the dead rubber, which was well supported by another 27,200 crowd, most of whom stayed on to enjoy the trophy ceremony.
Though only the four players and captain nominated for the final receive medals and replicas, Spain used the trophy ceremony to honour several other back-room members of their team. And none deserved his place in the spotlight more than Feliciano Lopez, who played a vital role back in February when Spain's second Davis Cup triumph almost fell at the first hurdle.
The tall left-hander was called into Spain's team for the first round away tie against the Czech Republic. He was saved for the reverse singles as he has a good record against Jiri Novak, but ended up playing Tomas Berdych - and beating him in a match Spain had to win having gone into the final day 2-1 down.
Lopez has been on the edge of the Spanish team ever since, and might have played again if Spain had been drawn away on a fast surface. But the other left-hander who saw Spain through in Brno, Rafael Nadal, has been the year's revelation. Called in originally as a doubles player, as he and Tommy Robredo seemed Spain's best hope of curing its doubles Achilles heel, he ended up winning three vital singles: against Radek Stepanek in the fifth rubber in Brno, against Arnaud Clement in the fourth rubber of the semi-final against France, and against Andy Roddick in the final.
Nadal becomes the youngest man ever to play on a winning team in a Davis Cup Final, and his performance this weekend has clearly made the exciting 18-year-old Spain's second player behind Carlos Moya, for whom this was a personal triumph. While Moya's friends were winning Spain's first Davis Cup in 2000, he was trying to heal a back injury that threatened to end his career. Missing out on his country's greatest moment gave birth to a desire that he too would one day win the Davis Cup. He was thwarted in last year's final despite a superb win on grass over Mark Philippoussis, but this year provided Moya's moment.
"I've thought about this so many times," he said, "you can't imagine how many, countless. I've even been dreaming, waking up in the middle of the night, thinking that I'm winning the deciding point. Since I was not in the 2000 team, this was my biggest goal, and my dream, and today it came true. I cannot ask for more."
Hearing him say that, the words of Spain's captain - or one of the three captains who form their "technical committee" - Jordi Arrese ring true.
"Even if we win the Davis Cup again," he said, "there will never be an occasion quite like this. Next time it will be different, that's for sure."
Moya is showing no signs of stopping now he has added a Davis Cup by BNP Paribas winner's medal to the French Open title and world No 1 ranking he achieved in 1998 and 99. But the array of talent Spain brought on for the trophy ceremony suggests he will have to fight to keep his place. Alongside Lopez was Fernando Verdasco, who with Nadal and Lopez could form a ferocious left-handed threesome in years to come.
The good news for the Americans is that if they play Spain in next year's final, they'll be at home and can pick a lightning fast surface if they want to. And with the possible exception of Argentina, which is overdue a run to a Davis Cup final, the USA and Spain look to be the best two teams for the next few years, with Spain currently enjoying a greater pool of talent than the Americans.
After the fifth rubber, the Estadio Olimpico's loudspeaker system blared out Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive", which became the unofficial anthem of Spain's 2000 Davis Cup triumph. With players like Nadal, Verdasco, Lopez, Moya and Ferrero, Spain won't just survive - they'll thrive!
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