Davis Cup | 20 years since Spain's first Davis Cup title

Manuel and José María Alonso Areyzaga, Manuel de Gomar, and Eduardo Flaquer. They are the names of the pioneers of Spain in the Davis Cup, the first four who competed in 1921 in the great tennis event for countries that already has 120 years of history. The national tennis fought later in inferior conditions for an unjust system that favored the champions, that each course waited calmly and without wear in the final, at home and on the surface they chose. Thus, two of the best Spanish teams of all time, those formed by Santana, Arilla, Gisbert and Couder in 1965 and the first three plus Orantes in 1967, stayed on the shores of success. On both occasions, the Australia of Emerson, Newcombe, Roche, Stolle, Bowrey … drove the Navy away from grassy glory. It took 33 years for Spain to hook the Salad Bowl. It was on December 10, 2000. The Selection made up of Alex Corretja, Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Joan Balcells, and led by the charismatic Dudu Duarte He triumphed at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona by defeating with poetic justice in the qualifying round for the title precisely against Australia, which he formed with his best possible lineup: Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter, Mark Woodforde and Sandon Stolle, son of that Stolle (Fred) which beat Gisbert in 1965. It was the culmination of a fantastic season, possible because the permanence in the World Group had been achieved in New Zealand (0-5) with Pato Clavet, Félix Mantilla, Julián Alonso and Joan Balcells, and Santana as captain.

The draws favored Spain, which started the year 2000 at the Murcia Tennis Club against Italy, on clay. The Spanish Federation, chaired by Agustí Puyol, decided to put the future of the team in the hands of a quartet of technicians, known as G4: Javier, Dudu, Duarte, Juan Bautista Avendaño, José Perlas and Jordi Vilaró. On Friday, February 4, Costa beat Davide Sanguinetti and Corretja in three sets, and Andrea Gaudenzi, current president of the ATP, in four. Balcells and Corretja's doubles scored the third point by sweeping Gaudenzi and Nargiso on Saturday; and on Sunday, already with qualification in his pocket, Costa fell to Gaudenzi and Pato Clavet beat Vincenzo Santopadre, who now coaches top-10 Matteo Berrettini (4-1). It was the premiere of Duarte at the head of the National Team.

The second round of Spain against Russia took place at the Calderón Sports Club in Malaga in April, who came with a great team and found an insurmountable Armada on clay. On the opening day, Corretja dominated Marat Safin in four sets and Ferrero swept Yevgeny Kafelnikov in three. Despite their respective defeats, the Russians rallied and won the doubles against the odds against Balcells and Corretja the next day. And on Sunday, Costa achieved the point that classified Spain against Kafelnikov and in a big way: 6-0, 6-3 and 6-0. Ferrero closed the series (4-1) in a match against Safin that was played in the best of three sets. The semifinals were played from July 21 to 23 at the Real Sociedad de Tenis de La Magdalena. The rival, The United States, a country that had been a 31-time champion and had the great John McEnroe as its captain. Costa gave Todd Martin no options and Corretja beat Jan-Michael Gambill. The tie got off to a great start and on Saturday Balcells and Corretja finished the job against Martin and Chris Woodruff. On Sunday, in a best-of-three game, Ferrero beat Vince Spadea and Balcells beat Gambill. Spain returned to the grand final and since then they have not lost a series at home to this day (they have won 25).

Years of history, disappointment and despair came to an end for Spain in December 2010. The previous Sunday, when he returned from the Masters that took place in Lisbon, Duarte had told Corretja, whom he was training at the time, that he was not going to play on Friday. He was number one in Spain, but the captain's scores were better if that day Costa and Ferrero, a 20-year-old boy who had excelled, played already the previous year with the title in the Mallorca tournament, on brick dust. He wanted to reserve the Barcelona player for the doubles, a vital point against a couple with Woodforde, one of the best in the world in the specialty, as leader. A difficult decision that went well.

The great John Newcombe, coach of the Aussies, was clear that it would be Hewitt and Rafter who would play the singles. And things started badly for the Red. Costa, who had come out very nervous, won the first set and went 2-1, with two sets ahead to win, but they were taken by the then 19-year-old, who would be number one in the world the following year. “You have to keep going and try to win this tie anyway,” Costa said after the loss. Then Ferrero equalized despite giving up the first set in the tiebreaker. He was imposing his youth against a Rafter who had been the leader of the ranking and had to retire due to injury when he lost 2-1 and 3-1 in the fourth set. The Valencian behaved with an unfitness of his age.

On Saturday it was the turn of the doubles. Balcells, who made the last serve of the duel to which the Australians could not respond, and Corretja embroidered it in front of Stolle and Woodforde. “You cannot ask for more from an audience that loves us, wants us to win and today has shown it,” said Balcells, with his green ribbon and his famous sideburns, the first Spaniard to beat Roger Federer, in a Challenger in 1999, and that he could with Nadal in another game in 2002. Australia missed one of his best tricks and thus the Navy could face Sunday with a 2-1 advantage. In the midst of a spectacular atmosphere, in a Palau Sant Jordi to burst and full of flags, Ferrero ate Hewitt and he culminated the victory with a two-handed backhand passer that is part of the history of Spanish tennis. The boy dropped to the ground and the team tipped over on top of him. “We have won it, we have won it,” shouted the long-awaited Andrés Gimeno, a pioneer who played 13 qualifiers, won 23 games and lost 10, in the broadcast of La 2 on TVE. Juan Carlos I and his wife, Doña Sofía, Jordi Pujol, Juan Antonio Samaranch and an emotional Agustín Pujol celebrated it all high in the box. The Kings shook hands with Ferrero and the monarch handed the Salad Bowl to Duarte, who was moved, and all the players touched it.

Nacho Calvo interviewed the hero of Spain: “It has been an immense joy. The truth is that it cannot be explained in words, because it is the first time that I have achieved such an important victory. It is the best triumph of my life, the most important. I dedicate it to Spain and with the help of my colleagues, who have all won, we dedicate it to Spain “, said, exhausted, Ferrero.” In a while I will realize, “he said when the journalist told him if he was not aware that he had played the most important game in Spanish tennis, and he dedicated it to his mother, who had died when he was 16 years old. He had made history.

These were the results:

Lleyton Hewitt beats Albert Costa: 3-6, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 and 6-4

Juan Carlos Ferrero Patrick Rafter: 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-2, 3-1 and retired

Balcells / Corretja to Stolle / Woodforde: 6-4, 6-4 and 6-4

Juan Carlos Ferrero to Lleyton Hewitt: 6-2, 7-6 (5), 4-6 and 6-4

20 years after that feat, AS chatted with the five protagonists, who are still moved by remembering those moments of glory. Here your impressions are collected.

Juan Carlos Ferrero (Ontinyent, 1980)

Memory: “It was something very positive for what my career was, because I push myself a lot to be a player with much more experience in those kinds of complicated situations with so much pressure. And at the same time, a memory of something unique that will never be possible. forget, because it was the year of my debut and with the luck to play some very nice qualifying rounds and the last point of the final against Australia. It will always be special. “

Transcendence: “I was very young and I was not aware of the importance of what we achieved. I barely had experience in the Davis Cup and it was very difficult to think about the repercussion that something like this would have. I did not know which one was going to ride.”

Anecdotes: “They were two very beautiful weeks, with an atmosphere in which you noticed what was ahead. We trained with great intensity and enthusiasm because we knew the opportunity we had. At home and against Australia we were favorites for playing on clay. We had a great team, although you could breathe the tension that was inside because of the situation we were not going to put in. The feelings were very good, very positive, some incredible days in a spectacular environment. It is a super nice memory. “

Rival: “Australia also had a great team, but playing at home and on clay made us favorites. Our team was very good on that surface, even if it was played indoors and that could benefit them in some ways. We felt favorites.”

Motivation: “There were so many moments that I do not remember specific phrases. The captain tried to give us confidence and tranquility to get our best level in such a difficult situation. He told us to try to enjoy despite the tension, to try to release what we had inside and have a good time “.

Future: “It did not occur to us that Spain would win five more titles, although it is true that as a result of those victories, wings were opened and it was believed that it was possible to win on other surfaces. It helped a lot.”

Joan Balcells (Barcelona, ​​1975)

First memory: “The first thing that comes to mind are emotions, feelings for having worked so long to achieve this, to experience those sensations and to have the opportunity to share the whole year with such good players as the ones we won. Being with Ferrero all year long, Corretja and Costa for me was a dream. I see flashes of the tie we saved in New Zealand at the end of 1999, as well as the first against Italy and all the others. The icing on the cake was the final in Barcelona, ​​against Australia. I remember being at About to enter the doubles match and when the players were announced that they were going to leave, everyone shouted our names. The emotion was tremendous and you almost shed tears from the tension and illusions. Being an athlete or watching it on TV , reading a book or going to the theater is what people are looking for “.

The doubles: “Against Stolle and Woodforde we were surely not favorites, but all the circumstances occurred. There was good harmony in the team, we had trained very well and being at home we were able to decide the conditions. On the ground with all the enthusiasm and work, in the end We took the game forward. Having Corretja as a partner gives you a plus of knowing that you are in good company. Each one of us contributes our skills. “

Importance: “I remember the words of the team doctor, who told us nothing more than to win than that success we were going to begin to appreciate when we were older, because being young and being on the circuit all day, you don't know so much the repercussion and what there was It was difficult to get there. Our victory reflected the merit of the Santana, Arilla, Orantes … who had played several finals, but having to go to the champion's court, they had to fight in Australia and on grass, something that was not easy for them. But if they had not done these feats, surely we would not have succeeded “.

Anecdote: “To me, King Juan Carlos, at the trophy delivery, said 'eh sideburns', so that I could give him a hug. It was the anecdote of my dealings with him.”

Celebration: “After we won there was a good party in which we went a little crazy with satisfaction. During the year, everything was very correct, because we were very focused on everything going well.”

Most important triumph: “It always surprised me that players like those who were next to me, put the Davis Cup practically on the same level as the Grand Slams. They had more experience than me and seeing that they value it so much made me understand that it was something very big. As I said Dr. Cotorro, we value him later, once the degree is finished and with maturity “.

Pioneers: “If you tell Nadal that he is going to win Roland Garros 12 times after winning the first one, he would surely say, 'I don't think he will win.' But the Spanish level of tennis and players grew to be among the greatest on the circuit , playing well indoors and on the fast track. The chances increased, and since they were so good, I'm not surprised they won one after the other. “

Álex Corretja (Barcelona, ​​1974)

Emotions: “The first time they asked me a month ago about this success for a Movistar + report, in the first answer I started to cry with emotion, it had never happened to me in an interview. It moved me so much at the moment with that dim light … It is a mixture of emotion, pride, joy, a feeling of having achieved something unique, historical and magical Spain was a country that had had very great tennis players, but in the Davis Cup, except for the finals of the 60s, there were no great successes. In the 90s we did not quite get together as we needed to win. There was an important start in 98, when we reached the semis, and in 2000 came the G4 revolution after a complicated end of 99 at the Federation level, with a change of captain, trip to New Zealand … We got together a lot and a winning team came out, with very clear ideas. There was a very strong union and I feel a lot of emotion to remember it. “

The decision: “There are things that were not said or that were misreported. I wanted to have the Cup at home, I wanted to be the Davis Cup champion. I had been an individual world champion and had the feeling that we could succeed. I was not envious of my teammates. I did not care who won the last point of the tie and in general to all of us who were in that team. There was such a great union … Luckily, Ferrero beat Hewitt and I had to play fifth. We were not envious, we We had a lot of respect and a very high feeling of camaraderie. I was number one and I accepted without question that the captains explained to me that I was not going to play the first day because I had the mission to play doubles, which was a very difficult game. and the fifth and decisive one because he was the most experienced player. I accepted him, understood him, respected him and supported the teammates and captains. I was not selfish. There are situations in which if a player reacts badly, it can harm the dynamics group. No e I know that I would not want to play or hide, on the contrary, because I had been playing singles and doubles all year, rowing for that moment to come. It was believed that it was the best to win and it was achieved, it was the only thing that counted. I suffered that situation where it seemed that I did not want to play. I am proud to have reacted like this, because it was important for the whole group. Each had their role and that was my turn. “

The doubles: “For the captains, the doubles was the most difficult point of the final. In fact, that is why they reserved Friday for me so that I would not get touched on Saturday and a hypothetical fifth point on Sunday. It all worked out. I had a union with Balcells who was magical. He was a great server, with very good percentages, he covered the net very well, where he defined perfectly, smoked very good … I was the stability in the couple, the solidity, the experience … in the backcourt it was who set the pace. And Sant Jordi was a blessing for us. We had been dreaming for years of playing an important tie in Barcelona, ​​because it was the cradle of Spanish tennis. What I experienced that weekend I never experienced again. Santander was perhaps more spectacular, because the environment, the setting were almost unmatched. But the atmosphere of Sant Jordi was the most exciting I have ever experienced in my life. The entire flag given to the players. In the first point of the doubles, Balcells hit a parallel backhand passing from the back of the court and I thought, 'this is going to work', because he was more definitive near the net and not so much in the background. At the first net point we had, a backhand passing came out of the corridor that passed between the net post and the ball boy and went to the corner. That was like saying, buah, this is going to work today. “

Anecdote: “The King visited me in the locker room when Ferrero was playing the fourth point against Hewitt. He went to say hello and I was stretched out on a couch. He said, 'What, are you waiting to see?' And I thought, 'Wow, this is it. the voice of the King. “I went to get up and he snapped at me,” No, no, stay there quiet, you're resting. ” But I stood up and said, 'Good luck, but I don't think you will need it, because it seems to me that Ferrero is going to win.'

Pressure: “We knew it was an opportunity that had to be seized. We had been chasing it for many years, a final had never been played at home, on land, with the balls we wanted, with our conditions. That led to something being achieved that opened the way for the Next years”.

Knowledge: “I had played the Roland Garros final and the Masters final. I had experience. When I arrived at the hotel in the evening after winning, I met Ferrero's sisters and his father and him, I looked at him and said, 'Juanki, That you know that from today on your life has changed. This point will be remembered for the history not only of tennis, but of our sport. From now on you will not be able to walk down the street because everyone will You have gone from being a child to being a benchmark, you will notice it in nothing. “I met him a month later in Sierra Nevada and the sisters told me,” How right were you, we can't go anywhere with him. We had a low profile and now when we go to a bar or a shopping center, it's incredible how they know him. '' I immediately realized that we had achieved something special, I saw it on the street, because they stopped us, their cars whistled, there was euphoria when we celebrated it, we went to many programs… “.

Contagion effect: “In sports there are leaps of faith. When you see that others have been able, you have the feeling that you can. Davis opened the ban on other sports for Spain, a synergy was generated because it was an important benchmark and I think it marked a before and an after, especially in tennis, I say it with all humility “.

Albert Costa (Lleida, 1975)

Memory: “I am excited to think of the whole year, of the suffering, the effort, the illusion, the desire we had to win the Davis Cup for the first time. The moment we lifted the Cup the four of us together with the captain, we knew it was historical. Spain raised the Salad Bowl “.

Loss in the final: “I had won every match in the previous qualifiers and in the final I lost to Hewitt in five sets. It was the hardest defeat of my entire career, without a doubt. There was no clear favorite in that match. It was very tough, the first day, with the track very fast, and it escaped me, I left my skin and fell against a player who was number one in the world. He had to recover and continue in the tie in case it was necessary for him to play. “

Chemistry: “The whole team, from the captains who were the leaders, to the technical staff, through the doctors, the physios, the press people, we had a very good, very close relationship with the same objective: to try to win Davis for the first time. We knew the pressure, that we were playing the final in Barcelona and we felt we had to win. It was achieved and it is a great memory that we will take to the grave. “

An example: “We athletes follow all kinds of sports, and when you see successes being achieved, that infects others a bit. We were not the first to win something so important, but for those who were competing at that time, it was a morale boost and of faith, like saying 'if they can, why not us' “.

Historical weight: “We had the weight of history on us. It had never been achieved, with very good players, such as Santana, Orantes, Higueras, Bruguera … At the time of the former it was unfair, because the finals were always played outside. It was not achieved afterwards either. being part of the team that made it was a dream come true. It's something you want when you're little. “

Where does that win place: “It is very difficult to compare the titles. I put this one in the same place as Roland Garros. I was very excited about the Davis Cup, just like Paris. Although they are very different, they are both in the same place in my heart.”

Anecdote: “There were many, but I am left with the feeling of just before playing, after the hymns. I had to leave after five minutes, and my legs were shaking. I had never had that feeling, not even when I entered to play the final of Roland Garros. Motivation and nervousness produce a reaction in your body that made me feel like a pudding. Then it passed me, but that's the emotion of playing the Davis Cup, representing a team and an entire country “.

The beginning of a legend: “We opened the can and gave confidence to the next generations. To say that we gave confidence to Rafa sounds a bit peculiar, but we did give credibility to the following to believe it. At first it was difficult for them to play that tournament, but then they came very large Davis players “.

Javier Duarte (Barcelona, ​​1959)

Nice memory: “Thinking about that Davis brings me nostalgia for a very beautiful part of my tennis life, not only because of the victory, but also because of the team we form, the players and coaches, because of the atmosphere. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my career. I thought how badly this Davis was done before and how unfair it was, I said it as soon as I won, because in 1967 and 1968, when Spain had to go to Australia to play the final, the format was that if you arrived, the reigning champion would be waiting for you at his home and on the track he wanted. If there hadn't been such an outdated and unfair system, by which the Australians won so many in a row, it could have been won earlier. With that rule, we would have won from 2000 to today. With all the teams we have had, imagine that we had been waiting on clay, without wear of any kind, to be told in November who we were playing the final against. We would have always been champions. We were the first, It was very good, it was fantastic, with more merit for being the first time, but we would not have been without that system. Spain with Santana, Arilla, Gisbert, Orantes … it was a great team so that by lottery they would have had to play a final in Spain, and surely they would have won “.

Ferrero: “Juan Carlos had his international breakthrough in 1999, a super shy boy, with Antonio Cascales beginning his stage as a coach. At the Mallorca tournament, Alex Corretja said, 'a star has been born'. Said and done, the following year he was already playing the Davis Cup final. “

The final: “They were very happy to have won a point on Friday, and so was I, because their great double was Woodforde and Woodbrigde, and this one did not come. With Stolle they had a good duo, but maybe not so much on the ground. Alex and Joan did a great game and we got 2-1. Man, I slept better with that result than the day before, but with 1-1 I was happy because I knew that at that time, on December 10, 2000, of ten games between Ferrero and Hewitt on the ground at five sets, barring unforeseen events, the balance would be 9-1 or 8-2 for Juan Carlos. He was getting out of hand, then he improved. Hewitt still lacked to play at his own pace. And if there had been the last game Between Corretja and Rafter, he also saw Alex very favorably, having also given him a break on Friday. He was our number one, he came from playing the Masters in Lisbon, he had beaten Hewitt hard, and we saved him so that he could play the doubles very calm and in the worst case, with a 2-2, having our best asset best player”.

Corretja, to the bench: “I told Alex the previous Sunday, when we were coming back from Lisbon, I worked with him for 17 years. I told him that I had to talk about it with the rest of the team, but that having done numbers all over the place, the best that came out with what he didn't play the first day. Obviously he didn't like it, because he wanted to play everything, but he understood it perfectly and helped the team. It was the first year that the number one could not play due to technical decision. That gave us mobility with a plagued team of great tennis players. If it hadn't been possible, I don't know who would have played between Costa and Ferrero, but Alex would have done it for sure. We saw this option and we all agreed. What was wrong with not playing? Sure, because it was a born winner. Who understood? Also. On Thursday he went to Albert and Juan Carlos' rooms to wish them the best of luck in a special way, even if that wish was taken for granted. If this had gone wrong they would have fired us all. When you win, hell, and if you walk rdes, well you've screwed up. “

Motivation: “The motivation was joint. There were the coaches of each one, there was not a single captain and the matches were raised with the coach of the one who played. I did not organize everything, it was mounted between three people each time. It was good, because their coaches knew todo lo que habían hecho en la temporada y por qué. Fueron buenos tríos y funcionó muy bien”.

Felicitaciones: “En ese momento me acordé de dos personas. Me faltaron dos felicitaciones. La de mi padre, que falleció poco antes y le hubiera hecho mucha ilusión estar a ahí; y mi primer entrenador, Juan Ventura, que me llevó durante muchos años en el Real Club Tenis Barcelona, y que gracias a él dejé de vaguear por las pistas de tenis e intentar ser jugador para convertirme en un buen entrenador”.

Juan Carlos Ferrero

Tras el éxito de la Davis, Ferrero tuvo una magnífica carrera en la que ganó Roland Garros y fue número uno del mundo en 2003. En la Copa Davis, el valenciano jugó 16 eliminatorias más, incluidas las final de 2003, con derrota ante Australia, y la de 2004, con victoria frente a Argentina. También figura como ganador de la Ensaladera en 2009, porque jugó en cuartos y en semifinales con España. En la ATP cosechó 16 trofeos y estuvo en otras 18 finales hasta su retirada en 2012 con un balance de 479 victorias y 262 derrotas. Entre ellas la de Roland Garros en 2002 (ante su compañero Albert Costa) y el US Open en 2003. Tras colgar la raqueta, se dedicó en cuerpo y alma a mantener su propia escuela, la Juan Carlos Ferrero Equelite, junto a su entrenador de toda la vida, Antonio Martínez Cascales, en Villena. Y desde hace un año entrena a la gran promesa del tenis español, Carlos Alcaraz. Está casado y tiene dos hijos.

Joan Balcells

El éxito de la Davis fue el mayor de Balcells, que jugó otras cuatro eliminatorias entre 2001 y 2002. En 2000 había ganado el único título individual de su carrera, en Bucarest. En dobles no tuvo suerte. Jugó dos finales, en Bogotá 2000 con Mauricio Hadad y en Doha 2001 junto a Andrey Olhovskiy. Se retiró en 2003. En 1999 se había convertido en el primer jugador español en ganar a Roger Federer, en el ATP Challenger de Espinho. En Sevilla, en un torneo de la misma categoría, Joan venció a un jovencísimo Nadal en 2002. Tras dejar atrás su etapa profesional, el catalán descansó una temporada antes de formar un equipo de competición llamado We Tennis BCN y pertenece al Club Tennis Barcelona-Teia, donde ejerce como entrenador. Está casado y tiene dos hijas.

Alex Corretja

El de 2000 fue el único éxito de Corretja en la Davis, jugó seis eliminatorias más y se quedó a las puertas de un segundo trofeo en 2003, en aquella final perdida ante Australia, y como capitán en 2012, en la última serie perdida en la República Checa. Un año después del éxtasis del Palau, el barcelonés jugó la final de Roland Garros y perdió contra Gustavo Kuerten. Su carrera le dio aún para ganar tres de sus 17 títulos ATP hasta que decidió parar en 2005. Después se convirtió en comentarista y entrevistador en TVE, Movistar + y Eurosport, que es donde ejerce ahora también como analista para la cadena en los Grand Slams. También escribe en prensa. Comparte su vida con la modelo Martina Klein, con quien tuvo a una de sus tres hijas.

Albert Costa

Costa jugó cuatro eliminatorias más de Copa Davis tras la final de 2000 y aún le aguardaba el otro gran triunfo de su carrera, el título de Roland Garros en 2002 al vencer en la final a su compatriota y compañero en aquella gesta de Barcelona, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ya retirado, en 2009 la RFET pensó en el él como capitán de la Davis y acertó, porque España levantó su cuarta Ensaladera. Albert se mantuvo en el cargo y en 2011 ganó otro trofeo del campeonato por países como entrenador. Fue su última serie. Después siguió ligado al tenis, sobre todo en los despachos, entre otras cosas como director del Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Ahora es el director de torneo de las Finales de la Copa Davis. Está casado y tiene dos hijas.

Javier Duarte

Duarte no volvió a ser capitán de Copa Davis con España tras el título de 2000. La solución colegiada con cuatro técnicos no se mantuvo y dos de ellos, José Perlas y Juan Avendaño, le sucedieron en los siguientes años. Dudu, que había entrenado durante 17 años a Corretja, también preparó a Berasategui, Carlos Costa, Tommy Robredo, Nicolás Almagro, y más recientemente, a Pablo Carreño y Christian Garín. Fue director técnico de la RFET y aún se dedica a entrenar, pero también a la gestión. Hace dos meses le fichó el Grup Magister, que tiene su sede principal en Platja d’Aro, para codirigir un proyecto que suba el nivel tenístico de la empresa y ayudarles a crecer en ese aspecto, en busca de talentos, acuerdos con ayuntamientos, colegios… Tiene dos hijos.

Como los propios héroes del primer título de Copa de España Davis recuerdan, su éxito quizá no hubiera sido posible sin el camino que abrieron leyendas como Manolo Santana (46 eliminatorias). Ya antes de la década de los 60, la primera época dorada de la Armada en la competición, el madrileño lo había intentado junto a Gimeno (13), que años más tarde dejó la Davis para hacerse profesional, Alberto Arilla (30) y Juan Manuel Couder (17). Tras siete eliminatorias, en 1965 jugaron y perdieron la final contra Australia, que volvió a ganar a España con ventaja de campo en la de 1967, con Manuel Orantes (38), otro guerrero nacional de la Davis que no pudo triunfar. También se batieron el cobre por la Armada Juan Gisbert (37), Pepe Higueras (17), Sergio Casal (29), Emilio Sánchez Vicario (24)… Un esfuerzo que no tuvo recompensa. Para Corretja (19), que había jugado ya unas cuantas series, el título fue una recompensa. Dos años antes, en 1998, había caído en semifinales ante Suecia con Carlos Moyá (15), Javier Sánchez Vicario (7) y Julián Alonso (3).

Lo que consiguieron en 2000 Duarte, Ferrero, Corretja, Costa y Balcells tuvo continuidad afortunadamente para España. Ese fue el primero de los seis títulos que ha ganado hasta ahora la Armada, que jugó ocho finales más. Australia se vengó en Melbourne, en 2003 (3-1) y al año siguiente, Ferrero, Moyá, Nadal y Robredo levantaron en Sevilla la segunda Ensaladera ante Estados Unidos (3-2). En 2008, contra pronóstico y con un conjunto sin Nadal formado por Ferrer, Verdasco, Feliciano López y Granollers, la Selección ganó a la Argentina de Del Potro, Nalbandián y Acasuso por 3-1 en Mar del Plata. La tercera llegó en 2009, en Barcelona y ante la República Checa, que cayó por 5-0 ante los Nadal, Verdasco, Ferrer y Feliciano López. La cuarta se ganó en 2011, en Sevilla, y la víctima fue de nuevo Argentina (3-1). Se alinearon los mismos de 2009. Y en 2012, España jugó la última final con el antiguo formato de eliminatorias. En Praga, Ferrer, Almagro, Granollers y Marc López perdieron por 3-2 ante la República Checa. La sexta Ensaladera la ganaron el año pasado, en las nuevas Finales, que se disputaron en Madrid, Nadal, Bautista, Carreño, Granollers y Feliciano López. España, por tanto, es la actual campeona.

Jugador más joven

• 17 años y 248 días: Rafael NADAL
• Nace en: 03 jun. 1986 – Fecha de debut: 06 feb. 2004

Jugador más veterano

Partido más largo

• 4 horas y 48 minutos: Tercera eliminatoria: Feliciano LOPEZ/Fernando VERDASCO ganan a Yves ALLEGRO/Marco CHIUDINELLI (SUI) (Detalles serie)

Eliminatoria más larga

Tie-break más largo

• 26 Puntos, 14/12: Oliver MARACH/Alexander PEYA (AUT) ganan a Marcel GRANOLLERS/Marc LOPEZ (Detalles serie)

Set final más duradero

• 26 Juegos, 14/12: Albert RAMOS-VIÑOLAS gana a Richard GASQUET (FRA) (Detalles serie)

Mayor nº de juegos en un partido

• 83 Juegos: 11-13 7-5 6-3 6-3 y 6-4 – Arthur ASHE (EE UU) gana a Manuel SANTANA (Detalles serie)

Mayor nº de juegos en un Set

• 34 Juegos, 16-18: Sergio CASAL/Emilio SANCHEZ ganan a Francisco GONZALEZ/Victor PECCI (PAR) (Detalles serie)

Mayor nº de juegos en una serie

Victoria más decisiva en una serie

• Sets: 15-0 Juegos: 91-20 – España gana a Mónaco (5-0) (Detalles serie)
• Sets: 6 – 0 Juegos: 36 – 18 – España gana a Croacia (3-0) (Detalles serie)

Racha ganadora más larga

• Eliminatorias ganadas: 9 entre 2008 y 2010

• España está en racha de 25 eliminatorias ganadas en casa desde la serie contra España en 2000. Es la segunda más larga tras la de Italia, 28 entre 1949 y 1964.
• España jugó más eliminatorias que nadie en la historia de la Davis en 1965: 8
• Manuel Santana es el jugador con más victorias de España: 92 con 28 derrotas, el tercer tenista con más triunfos de siempre tras el italiano Nicola Pietrangeli (120-44) y del rumano Ilie Nastase (109-37).
• David Ferrer (2009) y Rafa Nadal (2011) son los únicos españoles que han sumado seis victorias en un mismo año.
• Rafa Nadal está en racha de 29 victorias individuales y de 32 entre individuales y dobles.
• Conchita Martínez es una de las cinco únicas mujeres que han sido capitanas de Copa Davis.