Rafael Nadal came through in both singles and doubles on Saturday, helping Spain defeat Great Britain 2-1 to advance to the final of the Davis Cup for the tenth time.
Rafa and Feliciano Lopez beat Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-8) in the deciding rubber after the teams were level at 1-1 in the singles.
After the match, Rafa said:
Spain could win the Davis Cup for the first time since 2011 if they manage to overcome Canada in what is bound to be another raucous atmosphere in the 12,500-capacity indoor Caja Magica arena.
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: (L-R) Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain pose for a photo with Feliciano Lopez and Rafael Nadal of Spain ahead of their semi-final doubles match during Day Six of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 20: Ilustration, Rafael Nadal of Spain waits for action during his third round doubles match Semi-Finals played with Feliciano Lopez of Spain against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of England during the Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Oscar J. Barroso / AFP7 / Europa Press Sports via Getty Images)
6084820 23.11.2019 Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts during his semi-final tennis doubles match with Feliciano Lopez against Britian’s Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski at the Davis Cup Finals tournament in Madrid, Spain. Vladimir Pesnya / Sputnik
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez of Spain plays a serve in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 20: Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrates during their third round doubles match Semi-Finals played against Neal Skupski and Jamie Murray of England during the Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Oscar J. Barroso / AFP7 / Europa Press Sports via Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Feliciano Lopez of Spain, playing partner of Rafael Nadal of Spain looks on in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez of Spain plays a backhand in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 20: Ilustration, Rafael Nadal of Spain walks during his third round doubles match Semi-Finals played with Feliciano Lopez of Spain against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of England during the Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Oscar J. Barroso / AFP7 / Europa Press Sports via Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate holding a serve in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate after winning the first set in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate after winning the first set in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez of Spain plays a serve in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Feliciano Lopez of Spain, playing partner of Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a shot in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate match point in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate match point in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate match point in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate match point in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Feliciano Lopez of Spain celebrate match point in their semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning match point in their semi final doubles match against Great Britain on Day Six of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by fotopress/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain and Feliciano Lopez and Rafael Nadal of Spain shake hands following their semi-final doubles match during Day Six of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain and Feliciano Lopez and Rafael Nadal of Spain shake hands following their semi-final doubles match during Day Six of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning match point in their semi final doubles match against Great Britain on Day Six of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by fotopress/Getty Images)
Spain’s Rafael Nadal (R) and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez celebrate after defeating Great Britain’s Jamie Murray and Great Britain’s Neal Skupski during the semi-final doubles tennis match between Great Britain and Spain at the Davis Cup Madrid Finals 2019 in Madrid on November 23, 2019. (Photo by Oscar DEL POZO / AFP) (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
Spain’s Rafael Nadal (R) and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez celebrate after defeating Great Britain’s Jamie Murray and Great Britain’s Neal Skupski during the semi-final doubles tennis match between Great Britain and Spain at the Davis Cup Madrid Finals 2019 in Madrid on November 23, 2019. (Photo by Oscar DEL POZO / AFP) (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez celebrates with captain Sergi Bruguera of Spain following their victory in the semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez celebrates following their victory in the semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez celebrates following their victory in the semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez celebrates following their victory in the semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for LTA)
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain, playing partner of Feliciano Lopez celebrates following their victory in the semi-final doubles match against Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski of Great Britain during Day 6 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 23, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
NOW LEADING 5:3 GO ROBERTO GO….SERVING FOR THE 2 SETS VICTORY! UNO…..DOS….TRES… MATCH POINTS…… AND YOU DID IT!!! BEAUTIFUL WIN .. VAMOS ROBERTO AND THAT WAS AMAZING MATCH! GOD BLESS YOU !
GREAT HOLD ROBERTO! GREAT 5:3 LEAD 2ND SET….. GO ROBERTO GO!
VAMOS ROBERTO!!!!!! 🙂 CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GREAT 1ST SET STRONG WIN! HEAD TO HEAD AND YOU DID IT!
ROBERTO IS HOLDING STRONG DESPITE MISCALL AND STRIDING FORWARD BREAKING ONCE AGAIN LEADING 4:2 2ND SET! GO ROBERTO GO!
Great going Roberto, just one set more. Please Rafasize Felix for the win.
Ha ha! Rafa is probably like a greyhound waiting to be released from a trap before a race.
😂
LORNA!!! OMG! I am laughing sooo hard and I AGREEEE. Your comment made my worries vanish.
Rafa is that champion who relishes beating the odds and goes about it with unrestrained gusto.
Today’s Spain/Canada singles finals will be Felix vs RBA, and Rafa vs Shapo.
Good luck to Rafa and RBA.
Great Start For RBA after such a Tragic News.Lets hope RBA pulls this off so there is less Pressure as is happening from day 3
Yes, very sad news. Last year he lost his mom and now his dad.
I think Roberto has this. He is playing home among his compatriots and friends. It’s possibly the best therapy for him, at least for a little while, after such a devastating loss.
VAMOS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!:) ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND LOTS OF FUN !!!!!!!!:) XOXOXOXOXOXOXO LOVE AND HAPPINESS TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM SPAIN!!!!!!!:) GO RAFA GO!!!!!!!!!!:) GO SPAIN GO!!!!!!!!!!:) VAMOS SWEETHEART AND ENJOY EVERYTHING!!!!!!!:) XOXOXO
WI……WI…….WI…….SHARP PRECIOUS ACE……SOLID STRIKING SERVE OPENING …..GORGEOUS !:)
WI……WI…….WI…….SHARP PRECIOUS ACE……SOLID STRIKING SERVE OPENING …..GORGEOUS !:)
Good luck &Vamos RAFA Team
Rafa dedicated the victory to his team mate Roberto B A. Such a lovely gesture.
Wow! Another breathtaking match. The Davis Cup, in this format, has got me hooked as never before. Rafa is an unstoppable force and once again his grit, iron will and passion got Spain over the line. He’s been the key motivator and driving force for his team and they wouldn’t have got to the final without him.
Rafa defies nature. Where does he get all this energy from at the end of the season? The answer is clear for all to see on court. He finds it in his love for his country and his dogged determination to compete and win.
Nearly there champ. Just one final push!
Este año ha sido maravilloso para nuestro Campeón y de mucha alegría para nosotros sus fans. Mejor aún regresó a ser número 1. Qué más podemos pedir ?
Rafa..
To be a champion, takes more than victories, it needs heart, commitments, humility , and hard work..and inspire
You shows that being a Legend, does not necessary means to be off the court …
You are my Legend!
Great photos-team Spain had a fantastic match. Rafa was on 🔥great to see him playing with such
energy and enjoying himself🤛💪👍👏🎾❤️
Well done #TeamSpain and Vamos Rafa. Go for the final on sunday. Good luck, as always.
Amazing, amazing performance from Rafa! He has been carrying the whole team (whole country) on his back the whole week! Hope he has enough left to get the trophy tomorrow! Win or lose, I think he deserves a metal of honor for his incredible fighting spirit, and love for his country!
If he can stay healthy, 2020 will be another great year. He is playing at such a high level, especially his serve, a very potent weapon now!
So proud to be a Rafa fan!
What time can we see the match, and what cable channel?
Hi Patricia, if you’re in the US, the final will be on Fox Sports2, starting around 10:15am EST.
thank you for replying. I am in EST (philadelphia, pa) and I only have FS1 but not FS2. 🙁
Why isn’t it called Team Nadal. A team of one person.
Happy for Rafa as he’s giving his all but why aren’t others playing??? What’s with the captain assigning Rafa, Rafa, and Rafa.
Get some rest Rafa. And I hope Spain wins especially after all the mind numbing matches you have played.
RAFAMAZING BRINGS SPAIN INTO THE DC FINALS
Margo,
According to the captain, Pablo has a leg issue and Marcel has a back issue. RBA just lost his father.
Spain can’t win the doubles without Rafa playing and no one else can win the second singles so far except for the tie v Croatia. Not too unusual with this format. Top doubles teams are rarely composed of pairs from the same country anyway. Canada’s Shapovalov and Pospisil have played every rubber for their country too, as have Russia’s Rublev and Khachanov.
I agree that a doubles team can be comprised of two players from different countries in regular ATP tournaments but I thought for Davis Cup a doubles team consisted of two players from the same country and playing for that country.
VAMOS SWEETHEART AND F AND ENJOY EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!:) HAVE A JOYFUL HAPPY EVENING AND A BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:) IT WILL BE A GREAT MATCH FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!:) VERY HAPPY FOR ALL YOUR PRECIOUS MAGICAL COURT COMMAND SWEETHEART, AND HOW BEAUTIFULLY YOU KEEP YOUR PRECIOUS FOCUS AND INTENT POINT BY POINT!!!!!!!!!:) YOU ARE A LEGION ……. OUT OF THIS WORLD……EXTRAORDINARY STAR!!!!!!!:) MUCHAS GRACIAS FOR ALL THE IMPRESSIVE FUN TENNIS YOU ALLOW US ALL TO ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!:)
LET US ADD OUR HEARTS AND RESPECT GO TO ROBERTO FOR HIS DEDICATED TEAM SPIRIT AND FOR SHOWING UP. THIS VICTORY IS COMFORTING AND MAY GOD COMFORT HIM AND HIS FAMILY.
GO RAFA GO!!!!!!!!:) ENJOY CELEBRATING WITH YOUR LOVED ONES!!!!!!!!!!:) XOXOXOXOXOXO
Rafa!!! Feli!!! Congrats to La Armada!!! Welcome back to RBA! We missed ya!
Good luck tomorrow, guys!!!
I almost can’t believe what I just saw, except that, well, it’s Rafa. Congrats Rafa and Feli!! I’ll admit I didn’t think they’d win. I thought Rafa was a bit subdued in his singles match and he must be tired after so many matches and late finishes. Apart from that, Murray and Skupski are a top doubles pair, they play together regularly. Rafa’s passion and desire to win is beyond everything. It’s a privilege to watch him. Even the rather biased British commentators had to admit he’s the best player in the world 🙂
Well done team Spain! Thanks for our ever fighting champion Nadal! Vamos!!!! You just nailed it!
Congratulations to Team Spain!👍👏🤗
Good luck against Canada tomorrow🍀
Vamos💪❤️