Cup is Australia's, but Spain Retains Pride

After all the tension, all the build-up, talk of revenge, and - finally - nearly 12 hours of on-court action, the Davis Cup is Australia's.

For the 28th time, the famous old trophy will be residing Down Under for a year, after Mark Philippoussis became a home-town hero and possibly Melbourne's favourite son by winning the fourth rubber of this final of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, giving Australia an unassailable 3-1 lead. As Philippoussis collapsed to the turf in celebration, it was the end of not just a long weekend and a long week, but of a 15-month quest by Australia to get their hands on the trophy.

In February 2002, Australia lost its World Group first round tie to Argentina with a depleted team that sank to a 5-0 defeat on the clay courts of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. Australia was condemned to a World Group Play-off tie that September, which would pit them against India with a place in the following year's World Group at stake. The Australians publicly declared that that tie was not simply a way of retaining World Group status, but the beginning of a quest for the 2003 Davis Cup.

Lleyton Hewitt duly turned up for the tie in Adelaide against the much lower-ranked Indian team, the Australians won 5-0 and the journey was underway. This year, a first round drubbing of a depleted British team on a temporary clay court in Sydney - the first clay court tie to be played in Australia - was followed by an equally emphatic win over Sweden in Malmo. Then it was back to Melbourne and Hewitt again took centre stage, defeating Roger Federer from two sets to love down in the fourth rubber to clinch the semifinal against Switzerland and a place in the final.

Once Spain had booked its place as well, two things were clear: this final would be seen, at least by some, as a chance for the Australians to avenge the defeat and perceived unfair treatment handed out by the Spanish in the 2000 Barcelona Final; and secondly, the Australians would play on the same portable grass court on which they lost the 2001 Final to France in the very same Rod Laver Arena to France.

Would lightning strike twice? Could an underdog European team, albeit with high-quality players, come to Melbourne and win on its least favourite surface? The omens did not look good as Juan Carlos Ferrero soared to No. 1 in the World, while Mark Philippoussis failed to find any form on the autumn indoor circuit. Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt wasn't even on the tour, partly because he wanted to focus on the final - he had said at the start of the year that winning the Davis Cup was his main priority for 2003 - and partly because of troublesome warts on his right foot. The Spanish were clearly taking the final seriously, constructing a grass court in Barcelona for players to practise on, while Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero even found time to hit on the grass court at the Westside Tennis Club in Houston, during the Tennis Masters Cup.

The week before the final was full of tension, as the host nation fretted about the grass court, and whether it would be fast enough for the final, and hold up better than it had done two years ago.

"You can't have it exactly as you want it on matchday all week," said Captain John Fitzgerald on Monday, confirming that the court was indeed playing a bit slower than the home team wanted.

"It's like a haircut," added Masur. "You don't cut too much off to begin with because then you have nothing to work with."

Fitzgerald also admitted that the prospect of playing on grass under a closed roof was not something he supported.

"It's a bit like the Twilight Zone with the roof closed," he said. "In an ideal world you'd practise all week and play all the tie outside, grass is an outdoor surface."

While the Australians hoped that careful cutting of the grass by one millimetre a day would do the trick, the Spanish were keeping their cards close to their chest on who would actually play for them at the weekend. Having opted to bring rookie Feliciano Lopez to Melbourne instead of Albert Costa, many observers felt that the young left-hander might get a chance to play singles. After all, he had reached the fourth round at Wimbledon twice in the last two years, while Carlos Moya had not played on grass for 18 months and Juan Carlos Ferrero had lost his last four matches.

Preparation rumbled on, with the Spanish maintaining a relaxed demeanour while the Australians looked a little edgy. Philippoussis remembered his heroics in Nice four years ago, when he won both his singles rubbers to secure the Cup.

"For me it was the last final I played in Davis Cup and I have always said that it was the best experience and best feeling I have ever had in tennis in my career so far.

I think if there is anything that could top a Davis Cup win away is a Davis Cup win at home."

The draw on Thursday was a bit of a surprise in that there were no surprises: Moya and Ferrero would line up in singles, against Hewitt and Philippoussis, while Alex Corretja - villain of the peace as far as Australia were concerned in 2000 - would partner Lopez against Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge.

First up on Friday was Lleyton Hewitt against Juan Carlos Ferrero, with Hewitt getting the chance to crack the tie open he had talked about all week, in the match he had been building towards all autumn. Before the action could begin, however, there was controversy as the wrong music was played for the Spanish National Anthem, at an otherwise spectacular opening ceremony featuring inspiring music and an innovative laser display. The watching Spanish Sports Minister was furious, and gestured for the Spanish team to stay on court until the proper anthem was played. It was, and John Fitzgerald apologised for the mistake, so that finally the tennis could begin.

However, once it did, the lack of matchplay looked to be having a detrimental effect on Hewitt: soon he found himself two sets to one down against the Spaniard. A tiebreak loomed. And Hewitt rose to the occasion as only he can, playing an inspired run of points to take the tiebreak to love, including one point where he played a forehand from on the ground. The tide had been turned, and the fifth set was all one-way traffic, with Hewitt winning a terrific contest 36 63 36 76(0) 62 in ten minutes short of four hours.

"I just played faultless tennis and I went for it and I laid it on the line for that breaker," he said. "If you get two sets all, you never know what is going to happen in a Davis Cup match."

Carlos Moya then took to the court to face Mark Philippoussis, in match that many - including John Newcombe, this year's recipient of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence - felt the Spaniard could not win. Moya, however, surprised everyone with an attacking display of all-court tennis, including some effective serve-volleying, to win 64 64 46 76(4) in 3 hours 15 minutes and level the tie at 1-1.

“I always have a special feeling with Davis Cup… I think not being in the team [in 2000 when Spain won the Cup] is helping me to be more motivated now,” said Moya, who commented that Newcombe's pre-match dismissal of his chances had motivated him even more.

Saturday's doubles put Australia back on track, with Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs turning in a near faultless exhibition of grass court tennis to defeat Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez 63 61 63 in just 1 hour 34 minutes. The Fanatics supporters club gave Corretja a hard time, but in truth no harder than he was being given in tennis terms. Woodbridge, playing in his 29th tie to become the most-capped Australian Davis Cup player in history, was in blistering form, while Arthurs was busy exorcising his personal demons on the same court he lost the decisive fifth rubber to Nicolas Escude in 2001.

“That was the probably the lowest I have felt on a tennis court,” said Arthurs of that loss, “while today is probably one of the highest.”

“I think I’ve played a couple of Wimbledon finals where I’ve played that standard,” said Woodbridge. “But when you look at the pressure and the situation, this is probably the outstanding one.”

Davis Cup debutant Feliciano Lopez certainly did not let his side down, but could do nothing to turn the rubber around against a pair Corretja recognised were 'from another planet'.

So Sunday came and Mark Philippoussis had the chance to claim glory on his home turf against Ferrero, who was desperate not to let a year which had seen him claim his first Grand Slam title, reach another Grand Slam final, and become World No. 1 for a time, end with a sixth straight loss.

Philippoussis started strongly, and raced to a two sets to love lead, but Ferrero showed the fighting qualities that have served him and his team-mates well this year and won the next two sets. A fifth rubber looked likely, especially when Philippoussis had to have treatment before the final set began for a strained pectoral muscle.

The break disrupted Ferrero and revitalised Philippoussis, and despite frequent winces of pain, the Melbourne boy pulled through 6-0 for a 75 63 16 26 60 win in 3 hours 13 minutes, that sent the home crowd wild and reduced his father Nick to tears. It was Australia's Davis Cup, their first on home soil since 1986 - the final was also played on grass then at Kooyong - and their 28th in all. They also went to the top of the ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking.

"There was no way I was going to pull out," said Philippoussis of his injury. "I mean, this is Davis Cup and you leave your heart out there."

He also paid tribute to the crowd: "They were incredible. This is what Davis Cup is all about, especially playing at home..Today's win was definitely the most important win of my tennis career so far, without a doubt."

He said that winning the Cup at home easily surpassed winning away in Nice in 1999, just as he had predicted it would earlier in the week. Lleyton Hewitt concurred, saying,"There's no better feeling than holding that trophy up."

Despite such a battling performance, the Spanish were still desperately disappointed to lose.

"The feeling is bad, the feeling is that of sadness and that's how all of us feel," said a dejected Ferrero.

"We came to Australia, we played on grass; the odds were not in our favour, but we are proud that we came to fight," said Moya.

After all the build-up, the anthem mix-up, and talk of revenge, the overriding memories of this final will be a superb tie contested by two committed teams. Significantly, all four Australian players - the same four who had played in every tie this year - contributed a point in this final: a true team effort.

In just over two months time the quest starts again, with Australia at home in Adelaide to Sweden, and the Spanish facing a demanding trip to the Czech Republic. The first round ties will be played the weekend of 6th - 8th February; join us on Daviscup.com for another year of live scoring, this time sponsored by Getronics and featuring a 3d serve display. Of course in the meantime we will have all the latest features, news and photos, and if you missed any of this year's action you can see highlights at www.daviscup.tv.

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Woodbridge eyes Cup defence

Todd Woodbridge says he will play on for Australia for another year after their Davis Cup triumph over Spain.

The doubles specialist, whose future was unclear before the final, made his announcement after Mark Philippoussis sealed Australia's win in Sunday's first reverse singles match.

Woodbridge, 32, who has played a record 29 Davis Cup ties, teamed up with Wayne Arthurs for a 6-3 6-1 6-3 win over Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez.

It is his second Davis Cup victory.

Woodbridge said afterwards that his decision to play on was endorsed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

"As he was leaving he came up and said 'I know how you feel, everyone asking if you are going to be hanging around for another year'," Woodbridge said.

"He told me it's best to play it a year at a time."

Woodbridge's 29 Davis Cup ties is a record for an Australian, surpassing the mark set by Adrian Quist who played his last Cup match in 1946, 16 years after his first.

An Olympic gold medallist, Woodbridge has also equalled the record for the most doubles titles won in regular tournament play at 78, the same number as Dutchman Tom Okker.

He has also won 15 grand slam doubles titles, including eight at Wimbledon.

Australia wins 28th Davis Cup title

By DENNIS PASSA, Associated Press Writer
November 30, 2003

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Mark Philippoussis gave Australia its 28th Davis Cup title Sunday, fighting off a shoulder injury that nearly forced him to retire after the fourth set to beat Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, 6-0.

``I think we've got a guy today who just became a national hero,'' Australian captain John Fitzgerald said.

Philippoussis gave Australia a 3-1 lead in the best-of-five competition on the temporary grass court at Rod Laver Arena. A scheduled second reverse singles match Sunday between Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Moya was not played.

After receiving treatment on his right shoulder, Philippoussis held serve in the first game of the fifth set and broke Ferrero to go up 2-0. Philippoussis hit a hard overhand smash to finish the match, then dropped to the court while his teammates raced out to congratulate him.

``This is incredible,'' Philippoussis said. ``At the end I was just completely numb. It felt like I wasn't playing, I was sort of watching from the side.

``I didn't know what was going on. Thank God those shots were going in. ... There was no way I could quit, this is what Davis Cup is all about.''

In the opening singles matches Friday, Hewitt gave Australia a 1-0 lead with a five-set victory over Ferrero, and Moya beat Philippoussis to it. Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge beat the Spanish pair of Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez in straight sets Saturday to give Australia a 2-1 lead.

``Spain, there's no doubt they're the strongest men's nation in the world -- they've got a conveyor belt of players,'' Fitzgerald said. ``They played on a surface that's probably most foreign to them. You can imagine how tough they would be at home on clay. They showed a lot of class, a lot of character. It was a privilege to play against them.''

Ferrero said he didn't feel he had a letdown in the last set.

``I don't think my mentality changed,'' Ferrero said. ``I tried just as hard in the fifth set, but there was a lot of pressure on me. My feeling is one of sadness. We came here with a lot of hopes to win this final.''

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Philippoussis clinches Davis Cup for Australia

November 30, 2003

MELBOURNE, Australia (Ticker) - Mark Philippoussis couldn't feel much, accept the urging of his hometown fans.

Philippoussis overcame a shoulder injury to clinch the Davis Cup for Australia, outlasting Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, 6-0, on Sunday in a match that lasted 3 hours, 13 minutes.

A Melbourne native, Philippousis gave Australia an unbeatable 3-1 lead on the grass court at Rod Laver Arena. Afterward, he thanked his fans.

"If it wasn't for you guys, there's no way I would have gotten through that match, so thank you so much," he said.

The pain was so bad, Philippousis said he felt numb toward the end of the pivotal match. But he recovered, shaking off a singles loss to Carlos Moya on Friday.

"It was like I wasn't playing, I was watching from the side," Philippousis said.

The Aussies clinched their first Davis Cup crown since defeating France four years ago and just their second since 1986. They are second in Davis Cup championships, three behind the United States.

The dead rubber between Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and Carlos Moya was canceled.

The French Open champion, Ferrero lost both of his singles matches, squandering a two sets to one lead Friday against Hewitt. He fell to 11-5 in Davis Cup competition.

Philippoussis proved his grasscourt credentials by reaching the Wimbledon final in July.

Once again, the key match was Saturday's doubles, which Aussies Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge won over Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez. Only two countries have won a Davis Cup final after losing the doubles match.

Spain was seeking its second Davis Cup title, having won in 2000 in Barcelona.

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Philippoussis gives Australia Davis Cup win

Sun 30 November, 2003 08:40

By Julian Linden

MELBOURNE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Australia won the Davis Cup for the 28th time on Sunday when a courageous Mark Philippoussis beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in a five-set struggle in his home city of Melbourne.

Needing to win just one of the two concluding rubbers to secure the title, Australia snatched an unassailable 3-1 lead when Philippoussis defied injury to beat the French Open champion 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0.

Philippoussis needed medical treatment on a pectoral muscle after the fourth set when the momentum had suddenly turned against him but he decided to play on in agony.

"There was no way I was going to pull out," Philippoussis said. "This is Davis Cup and you leave your heart out there.

"At the end of the day I was completely numb. I felt like I wasn't playing but watching from the sideline.

"It just shows how much this means to all of us. It has been a long year and it was our goal."

The final match between Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Moya was called off as the players and crowd burst into spontaneous celebration.

Hewitt watched the match from courtside but missed the last set after he was ordered to start preparing to play Moya.

Australia's non-playing captain John Fitzgerald said Philippoussis's performance would become part of tennis folklore.

"We believe in the sport and playing for Australia and I know there will be kids that will be inspired by this," he said.

Philippoussis, who had lost his opening singles match to Moya on Friday, produced a near-perfect demonstration of grasscourt tennis to race to a 2-0 lead against the world's third-ranked player.

The Wimbledon finalist fired down an array of aces, accurate volleys and crisp ground strokes to overpower Ferrero, whose natural baseline game is better suited to clay.

The Spaniard fought back gallantly to force the match into a deciding fifth set despite having a leg injury of his own but could not raise his game again when Philippoussis regained control.

"The feeling is bad and of sadness," Ferrero said.

"We came here with a lot hope. We wanted to win this final. We had a bit of bad luck. I tried as hard as I could in the fifth set but I think he just played too well."

OVERHEAD SMASH

Philippoussis, who needed treatment during the final break between sets, immediately regained the ascendancy when he broke Ferrero in the second game of the last set.

Roared on by a full house at Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena, his momentum carried him to victory and he collapsed in joy after sealing his win with an overhead smash.

Australia were always heavy favourites to win tennis's most famous team trophy after playing at home on a temporary grass court that suited their players.

Friday's opening singles had been split 1-1 after Hewitt beat Ferrero in five sets and Philippoussis lost to Moya but the odds were dramatically shortened in the hosts' favour when Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge won Saturday's doubles rubber.

Despite Australia's great record in Davis Cup, they had not won the title on home soil since 1986 and their only win since then was in France in 1999 when Philippoussis was again the hero.

Australia lost the 2000 final to Spain in Barcelona and were odds-on favourites to beat France at home two years but lost in the deciding rubber after Fitzgerald suddenly changed his starting line-up for the last two days and the gamble backfired.

"It is a bad feeling to lose, particularly the further you get in this tournament," Moya said.

"But I guess time cures everything and in a few hours' time we will be looking back and saying how we got here, how we fought hard, how we missed by perhaps not very much.

"We came to Australia, we played on grass, the odds were not in our favour but we are proud that we came to fight."

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Redeemed Philippoussis sinks Spanish armada

Sun 30 November, 2003 05:55

By Greg Stutchbury

MELBOURNE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Mark Philippoussis, the former bad boy of Australian tennis, became a national hero when he clinched the Davis Cup for his country on Sunday.

Philippoussis, playing on a specially-laid grasscourt at the Rod Laver Arena in his hometown of Melbourne, sealed the tie with a 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0 victory over world number three Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first of the reverse singles.

After the Australian, who had relinquished a two-set lead and battled with a chest injury, smashed a weak return from Ferrero to take the match and seal the tie, he collapsed to the court as the crowd burst into a cacophony of cheering.

His father Nick burst into tears courtside as Philippoussis embraced coach John Fitzgerald before the rest of the Australian team of Wayne Arthurs, Lleyton Hewitt and Todd Woodbridge ran on to court to join in the celebrations.

"This beats Nice," Philippoussis told reporters in reference to his victory over France's Nicolas Escude in 1999 to seal the title for the Australians.

"This is what Davis Cup is all about, playing at home," he added of the raucous crowd that cheered him through the fifth set while he was battling with the injury.

"The crowd were just so loud and so awesome. I said that I wouldn't have been able to make it without them.

"They not only get you up, but they also get your opponent down."

It was an amazing turnaround for the 27-year-old, who was chosen to lead Australia more than five years after he threatened to abandon the Davis Cup altogether after falling out with the team's coaching staff John Newcombe and Tony Roche in 1998.

On Friday, Philippoussis was shocked when he was beaten by claycourt specialist Carlos Moya 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-7.

The defeat left a despondent Philippoussis uncommunicative after the match, though he vowed to battle back and play better in the reverse singles.

DECIDING SET

Philippoussis began intensely, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the injury seemed to affect his serve and Ferrero seized the opportunity to battle back and force a deciding set.

However, Philippoussis then received treatment on his chest, which seemed to allow him to regroup and he produced some of his best tennis to smash the smaller Spaniard off the court.

"It was pretty sore, but there was no way I was giving in," said Philippoussis of the way the injury was affecting him during the third and fourth sets.

"Fitzy (coach John Fitzgerald) told me to take it just one point at a time," he added of the fifth set.

"It's Davis Cup. You leave it all out there."

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Arrese calls for bye for Davis Cup finalists

Sun 30 November, 2003 07:35

By Greg Stutchbury

MELBOURNE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Davis Cup finalists should receive a bye into the following year's second round, Spanish captain Jordi Arrese said on Sunday.

Spain lost the Davis Cup final to Australia in Melbourne on Sunday when Mark Philippoussis beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0 to give the home team an unassailable 3-1 lead.

The second reverse singles match was called off after the win.

When Spain won the event in 2000 they lost in the first round in 2001 while Australia, who lost the final to France on the same grass court in Melbourne later that year, were also knocked out in the first round in 2002.

"Actually I think that two byes (one each for the finalists) would be recommended," Arrese said through a translator at a news conference. "I find that the calendar for this event is hard, February to December.

"It is very hard because it is the end of year holiday and it's difficult to prepare for the Davis Cup (final)."

Spain meet the Czech Republic while Australia host Sweden in next year's first round over the weekend of February 6-8.

Ferrero, who lost both his singles matches in five sets during the final said he had felt tired going into the tie after a hectic recent schedule that ended with the Masters Cup in Houston.

"On the first day (Friday) I felt I was strong, but at some point I started feeling weaker and I didn't have the strength required to get to the end," said Ferrero. "(But) today in the third and fourth set I felt I was going well but I guess luck was not on my side.

"I think I'll have a rest until about December 15 and then I'm planning to come back down here to play at Sydney and the Australian Open."

Moya said that the team were disappointed at the loss but they had come to Australia as underdogs, despite him and Ferrero being ranked inside the top 10.

"It is a bad feeling to lose, particularly the further you get in this tournament.

"But in a few hours we will be looking back and saying how we got here, how we fought hard, how we missed by not very much.

"We came to Australia, we played on grass, the odds were not in our favour, but we are proud that we came to fight."

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Australian team lacked confidence in the Scud

Sun 30 November, 2003 07:59

By Greg Stutchbury

MELBOURNE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Australia's Davis Cup team had been convinced that a chest injury had affected Mark Philippoussis so badly that he would lose his match and the final against Spain would go to a fifth rubber on Sunday.

In fact Philippoussis, who comfortably won the first two sets against Juan Carlos Ferrero before losing the next two, managed to blow the world's third-ranked player off the court in the last set, completing a 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0 victory.

The win handed Australia their 28th Davis Cup.

"I had that break between the fourth and fifth sets and went into the locker room and Lleyton was in there doing some sprinting drills," a smiling Philippoussis said at a news conference.

"I just said to him 'what are you doing?' He was already dressed, putting on his socks and doing some footwork drills," he added, laughing.

Hewitt, scheduled to play Carlos Moya in the fifth rubber, said he had had to be prepared for the possibility of playing.

"There was definitely a moment after 6-1 6-2 in the third and fourth set that I thought I could be out there," said Hewitt. "To his credit it was a hell of an effort to come back."

Doubles player Todd Woodbridge added that he thought the 27-year-old had been in danger of losing the match because momentum had swung to Ferrero.

"I thought he was done. Done like a dinner" said Woodbridge. "(At) two sets all I was telling Rusty (Hewitt) to move his feet faster in the locker room because it is one of the best efforts that I have ever seen at being able to turn a match around.

Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald said the injury to Philippoussis's chest was also causing him concern because his player was in so much pain.

"At that stage he was hurting but the good news is so was Juan Carlos Ferrero," said Fitzgerald.

"He (Philippoussis) was in so much pain but we were just telling him to put it out of his mind.

"If you start off strongly here, you hold your first serve and you start chipping and come in quickly and put some pressure on him.

Philippoussis, who said he would need to have a MRI scan on Monday, said the break for treatment had helped him refocus.

"It was good just to step back and go into the locker room and get away from the court for a minute," he said.

Home-town Hero Philippoussis Wins Cup for Australia

The title of Davis Cup Champion Nation 2003 is Australia's.

Mark Philippoussis had tears streaming down his face and everywhere he looked in the Rod Laver Arena it was the same. The people who mattered most to him, his father Nick, his captain John Fitzgerald, his teammates, they were all overflowing with emotion. His father in particular was just so proud as he wiped his eyes time and again.

Mark Philippoussis had won the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for Australia. He had given the nation this magnificent trophy, this fantastic team competition, for the 28th time. He had struck the overhead winner against Juan Carlos Ferrero that sealed the win in three hours 13 minutes 75 63 16 26 60.

It was a roller coaster ride that stunned everyone and even Philippoussis, playing a Davis Cup tie for only the second time in front of his home town crowd, was lost for words. He could not explain how he won that fifth set as he was wracked with pain in his right shoulder.

"To be quite honest I don't know what happened in the fifth," said Philippoussis who also played the winning match for Australia the last time they won the Davis Cup, back in 1999 in Nice. "I just came out there, I went to the bathroom, the guys were saying 'one more set, one more set'. I was just thinking I don't care how bad your pec (shoulder) is, just put everything into this last set.

"I don't know how, especially 60 in the fifth set. I honestly don't know. I just thought the serve ... give it everything and then when I was returning I thought just chip and charge and come in on everything. If he passes you, too good. I was just going to come at anything. I don't know."

Philippoussis started the match in a far better manner than on the first day when he admitted he had been throwing up before the match against Carlos Moya because of nerves. This time he was positive and aggressive form the word go. He saved break points in the first game of the match and then broke Ferrero in the 12th game to claim the set with a forehand cross court volley winner.

The Australia punched the air with both fists and kept the momentum going and once again broke Ferrero, in the eighth game when the Spaniard netted a backhand and a game later the set belonged to Australia when Ferrero sent a return wide.

Australia was a set away from glory. But Ferrero is not a Grand Slam champion and one of the three best players in the world for nothing. When he broke Philippoussis in the second game of the third set after seven break points, the match began to turn. The Spaniard was growing in confidence and he was pressuring Philippoussis whose service percentage was dwindling.

The third set fell to Spain and then the fourth. At that stage both players required treatment. Philippoussis took a bathroom break but then needed intense treatment on his right shoulder, while Ferrero was getting his thighs massaged in the hot conditions. And then the radical change came.

"I don't think my mentality changed at all," said Ferrero. "I feel that I played pretty much the same in the third and fourth set, as well as the first and second set. I tried just as hard in the fifth. (My) arm was playing up, the serves weren't as good, there was a lot of pressure on me from the start. Although he was having problems with the shoulder, I think he played just as well.

"I wasn't thinking anything special. I was thinking I have to steal, in the same way as the third and fourth sets and try to break his serves. I tried to keep fighting and keep going until I win the match, but finally it was impossible."

Philippoussis said the shoulder problem could be a tear and he will be having an MRI to determine the problem but he is living through the discomfort as he floats on cloud nine.

He said the crowd played a huge part in the match. It is what Davis Cup is all about, especially playing at home. This was a special victory. Every one of the team members scored a win.

"It's a special moment I guess for me," said Lleyton Hewitt who didn't have to play the final dead rubber which was abandoned. "Personally I probably haven't had the greatest years that I have had over the last two years before. I guess I sacrificed a lot of things to play Davis Cup and to play well in Davis Cup ties.

"There's no better feeling than holding that trophy up. For me the whole team did it, it was a team effort this whole weekend and everyone stood up for what they believed in."

That's just about sums up Davis Cup - the greatest annual team competition in sport.

All of Melbourne will have the opportunity to celebrate Australia’s victory on Monday when the team will attend a public reception at Federation Square hosted by the City of Melbourne and Lord Mayor John So.

Fans can also relive the final by accessing video footage of all the weekend's matches from Monday at www.daviscup.tv.

Launch the Live Scoreboard by clicking on the link to see results, match times by Fossil, and other stats.

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Australia Assumes Top Spot in ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking

New Davis Cup Champion Nation Australia has another reason to celebrate besides its 28th Davis Cup Title: it is now No. 1 in the ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking.

By winning in Melbourne today, Australia moved ahead of France to take the top position in the ranking, which was launched at the end of 2001 to allow nations to compare their performance against other nations in the competition. The ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking is published following every World Group round. After each round, points from the same round for three previous years will be discounted as per the table on the How it Works page.

The ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking is used as one of the primary criteria for seeding at all levels of the Davis Cup competition. The Davis Cup Committee also use the following criteria when making their seeding decision: the ranking of players likely to participate; experience on different surfaces; experience in doubles and any other pertinent criteria.

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John Newcombe Honoured at Davis Cup Final

The International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation have announced that John Newcombe of Australia is the recipient of the 2003 Davis Cup Award of Excellence.

Presentation of the award was made during the 2003 World Group Final between Australia and Spain, November 30 in Melbourne, Australia. The award was presented to Newcombe by Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation, and Geoff Pollard, President of Tennis Australia.

The purpose of the award is to recognize the importance of Davis Cup international team competition and its mission by honoring individuals who represent these ideals. The Davis Cup Award of Excellence is presented to a person who represents the ideals and spirit of Davis Cup competition. The recipient must be a member of a past or present Davis Cup team, and must be from the country/region where the Final is being held. Inaugurated in 2001 by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and
the International Tennis Federation, 1984 Hall of Famer Neale Fraser of Australia was the first Davis Cup Award of Excellence recipient. Last year, the award was presented to Pierre Darmon of France.

“John Newcombe embodies all of the outstanding qualities of a Davis Cup player and captain,” stated Francesco Ricci Bitti. “He was a great player and captain whose ability to be a part of a team and to lead a team, make him a worthy recipient of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence.”

John Newcombe played Davis Cup for Australia for eight years (1963-‘67, 1973, 1975-‘76) appearing in fifteen ties. He compiled an overall win-loss record of 25-9 (16-7 in singles; 9-2 in doubles). He made five Davis Cup Final appearances for Australia (1963 – loss to USA; 1965 – defeated Spain; 1966 – defeated India; 1967 – defeated Spain; 1973 – defeated USA). Newcombe shares 5th place (with Laver) on Australia’s all-time Final appearance list, with a total win loss record of 7-1 (2-1 in singles; 5-0 in doubles). In 1994, Newcombe became Australia’s Davis Cup Captain (1994-2000), steering Australia to two Davis Cup Finals. In 1999, Australia defeated France, but lost to Spain in 2000.

Outside of Davis Cup action, Newcombe holds 26 career titles in Grand Slam events (7 singles; 17 doubles; 2 mixed). He was the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world in 1967, then held the World No. 1 open ranking in 1970 and 1971. He finished his career with 73 titles (32 in singles; 41 in doubles). In 1986, Newcombe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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Australia win Davis Cup

Australia have won the Davis Cup for a 28th time after Mark Philippoussis clinched a stunning five-set win over Juan Carlos Ferrero for an unassailable 3-1 lead in the final.

The Australian number one was severely hampered by a shoulder complaint, which looked set to scupper his chances of finishing the match.

But a lengthy injury time-out after the fourth set inspired Philippoussis to a superb final-set display and a 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0 victory in front of a partisan Melbourne crowd.

Afterwards he said: "This is incredible. At the end I was just completely numb. It felt like I wasn't playing, I was sort of watching from the side.

"I didn't know what was going on. Thank God those shots were going in."

The result meant the defunct singles rubber between Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Moya was scrapped.

The overall scores had ended level at 1-1 on Friday after Hewitt and Moya beat Ferrero and Philippoussis respectively in the opening singles rubbers.

But the hosts moved ahead on Saturday as doubles pairing Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs sealed a straight-sets win against Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez.

In Sunday's reverse singles, Philippoussis got off to a sharp start in a rubber Ferrero and Spain needed to win to keep alive their Cup ambitions.

Philippoussis had an early chance to break at 5-4 up in the first set, only for his opponent to hold serve.

It was only a matter of time, though, for the fired-up Australian, who broke the world number three to go into a 7-5 lead.

Ferrero, who had produced some stunning tennis in the opening tie of the final against Hewitt, struggled again in the second set and was duly broken at 2-1.

From there Philippoussis went on to comfortably move two sets clear, only for his rival to hit back in commanding fashion in the ensuing two sets.

It was a complete role reversal, as his serve fell apart and was blighted by a series of double faults.

Ferrero levelled the scores with incredible ease before Philippoussis' time-out.

That five-minute interval completely destroyed Ferrero's momentum and the Spaniard looked a shadow of his former self when play finally resumed.

Revitalised, Philippoussis produced arguably the best tennis of the entire final to coast to a 6-0 final-set victory, sealed with a powerful overhead smash.

A despondent Ferrero said: "The feeling is bad and of sadness. We came here with a lot of hope.

"We wanted to win this final but we had a bit of bad luck."

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Australia d Spain 3-1

Mark Philippoussis guided Australia to victory in the Davis Cup final against Spain on Sunday with a five-set win over Juan Carlos Ferrero in Melbourne. Philippoussis, who dropped his opening match to Carlos Moya, rebounded to win 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, 6-0 to give Australia an unbeatable 3-1 lead.

Philippoussis banged 20 aces but also threw in 16 double faults in an erratic serving display, but he was still good enough to help Australia avenge its loss to Spain in the 2000 Davis Cup final. Australia has now won the Davis Cup 28 times.

Mark Philippoussis (AUS) d Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 75 63 16 26 60

* Australia, that debuted in Davis Cup in 1905, claimed its 28th Davis Cup title and appeared in the final for the 47th time.
* Philippoussis was on the Australian team that captured the Davis Cup title against France in Nice in 1999.
* The Australian received teratment on his right shoulder in the fourth set
* Ferrero won both of his matches when Spain defeated Australia in the Davis Cup final in Barcelona in 2000.
* The fifth rubber between Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Moya was cancelled.