When a 14-year-old Rafael Nadal acted as the flag-bearer for Spain during the 2000 Davis Cup final
Rafael Nadal made his debut for Spain at the Davis Cup in 2004, but the 21-time Grand Slam champion's first "appearance" at the tournament came four years prior. The Mallorcan served as the flag-bearer for his country during their final against Australia in the 2000 edition, back when he was only 14 years old.
The former World No. 1 turned out to be a good luck charm for Spain as they went on to win the tie for their maiden title. Albert Costa lost the first singles rubber against former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt but Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated Pat Rafter in the second singles tie to bring his team level.
in the Davis Cup Final!
December 2000: 14-year-old Rafael Nadal serves as flag bearer for 🇪🇦 in the Davis Cup Final! https://t.co/LdVljjAfQw
Joan Balcells and Alex Corretjo then prevailed in the doubles match over Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde to give Spain the lead. Ferrero then capitalized on the lead in the reverse singles tie, vanquishing Hewitt to take an unassailable 3-1 lead.
En route to the final, Spain defeated Italy in the first round, Russia in the quarterfinals and the United States in the semifinals.
Rafael Nadal has won the Davis Cup five times with Spain
Rafael Nadal has five Davis Cup titles to his name so far, winning the tournament in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019. In 2004, Spain defeated USA 3-2 in the final. The then 18-year-old played only one match in the final, defeating former World No. 1 Andy Roddick in four sets in the second singles tie.
In 2009, Spain prevailed 5-0 over the Czech Republic in the final. The Mallorcan played two matches this time around, winning against Tomas Berdych and Jan Hajek in straight sets.
On this day in 2004, Spain beat USA to win the Davis Cup!
A 18-year-old Rafael Nadal defeated Andy Roddick in four sets during that weekend 😲👏 https://t.co/cnTTfiL8T6
Spain secured a 3-1 victory over Argentina in the final of the 2011 edition. Nadal once again played two matches, defeating Juan Monaco in straight sets in the first singles tie and Juan Martin del Potro in the reverse singles rubber in four sets.
In the 2019 edition, the format was reduced to a best-of-three encounter and Spain won both of their singles ties against Canada in the final. After Roberto Bautista Agut disposed off Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first match, the current World No. 4 dismantled Denis Shapovalov in straight sets to secure the sixth Davis Cup title for his country.
Nadal in 2019:
2x Grand Slam (RG, USO)
2x Masters 1000 titles (Rome, Montreal)
1x Davis Cup https://t.co/qp0PaZmZe7
Although the former World No. 1 was part of the final squad in 2008 against Argentina, he did not play any matches due to a knee injury. Overall, the 21-time Grand Slam champion has a 37-5 win/loss record in the event. He has lost only one singles rubber, a straight-sets loss against Jiri Novak in his first ever match in the Davis Cup.
Nadal in 2008:
2x Grand Slam (RG, Wimbledon)
3x Masters titles (Monte Carlo, Hamburg, Toronto)
2x ATP 500 (Barcelona, Queen's)
1x Olympic Gold
1x Davis Cup https://t.co/VJTU0ZXzzi
Rafael Nadal's last loss came in 2005, when he lost against Italy's Daniele Bracialli and Giorgio Galimberti partnering up with Feliciano Lopez. Since then, he has won his last 32 encounters on the trot.
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