The 2009 Davis Cup Final begins today in Barcelona as Spain plays host to the Czech Republic. As part of the celebration of the final, WorldTennisMagazine.com is presenting a special look at some of the best moments in the history of the Davis Cup, courtesy of the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). Each day, WorldTennisMagazine.com will present the anniversaries of some of the best matches from the event.
ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY – December 4
1977 – Australia wins the Davis Cup for the 24th time as John Alexander defeats Adriano Panatta 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, 11-9 in 3 hours, 54 minutes to clinch the 3-1 victory for the Australians in S
ydney, Australia. Neale Fraser, the Australian team captain, describes the match “one of the greatest of all time,” while Italian captain Nicola Pietrangeli labels it “one of the greatest I have ever seen.” Panatta serves for the match at 6-5 in the fourth set and comes within three points of winning the match.
1992 – With the sound of Swiss cowbells reverberating throughout the Tarrant County Convention Center in Ft. Worth, Texas, play opens up in the first Davis Cup Final on American soil in 11 years as the United States and Switzerland split the opening day singles matches. Wimbledon champion Andre Agassi puts the United States up 1-0, crushing Jakob Hlasek 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the opening match of the series, while Olympic champion Marc Rosset upsets world No. 1 and Australian and French Open champion Jim Courier 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in 4 hours, 23 minutes to even the series at 1-1.