2014 DAVIS CUP

&
2014 ATP WORLD TOUR FINAL
A PHOTO ESSAY
By
Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA
suleaos@gmail.com
http://about.me/ahmedsule
http://www.scribd.com/Alatenumo/documents

Having spent the first three quarters of the year 2014 focusing on the womens side of tennis and on Serena Williams in particular, I spent the
last quarter focusing on the mens side of the game. This saw me watching the 2014 ATP World Tour final (which features eight of the top
seeded men tennis players) in London and the 2014 Davis Cup Final between France and Switzerland, (which took place in Lille France
between 21 November to 23 November 2014.)
First stop was London. I got to the O2 Arena on Friday 14 November 2014 to watch the final of the round robin matches featuring Novak
Djokovic vs. Thomas Berdych and the surprise Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka vs. the surprise US Open winner Marin Cilic. On Sunday
I eagerly waited for the final, which was to feature Novak Djoker Djokovic vs. the Roger Fed Express Federer. After watching an exciting
doubles final, which was won by the legendary Bryan Brothers, we were informed that there would be a special announcement. Shortly after
the trophies were presented to the Bryan Brothers, the ATP President came to the court along with Roger Federer. Federer explained to the
crowd that he would not be able to play in the final as he had sustained an injury. In contrast to the crowd that jeered and racially abused Venus
and Serena Williams and their father 13 years ago when Venus pulled out from the semi final of the Indiana Wells tournament due to injury, this
crowd though disappointed applauded Roger Federer for his honesty. As a consequence, Djokovic won the competition. To compensate the
crowd, Djokovic played Andy Murray in an exhibition game and Murray teamed up with John McEnroe to play Pat Cash and Tim Henman in an
exhibition doubles game.
Next stop was Lille. A week after the ATP Tour final, I boarded the Euro Star train on the morning of 21 November 2014 for Lille. After a severe
delay on the train due to an electrical fault, I arrived in Lille and had to rush to the Stade Pierre Mauroy getting there just in time before the
finals. There were initial concerns as to whether Federer would be fit to play in the Final. Fortunately Federer recovered from his back injury
and so I got to see Federer play on three consecutive days. The first singles rubber featured Wilfred Tsonga vs. Stan Wawrinka in which the
latter prevailed by three sets to one. In the second rubber, Federer lost to Frenchman Gael Monfils in three straight sets. So at the end of day
one, the scores were tied meaning that the Davis Cup winner would not be decided until the final day. On the second day, Federer and
Wawrinka put there differences aside and teamed up to defeat the French pair of Richard Gasquet and Julien Benneteau to give Switzerland a
2-1 lead.
On the final day Roger Federer played Richard Gasquet in the fourth rubber. A victory by Federer would give Switzerland its first Davis Cup
while a victory by Richard Gasquet will take the competition into a deciding fifth rubber. Federer seemed to be in a hurry showing no mercy as
he demolished Richard Gasquet in three straight sets to clinch the cup for Switzerland. As Federer scored the winning point, he sank to his
knees and fell flat on the clay ground while his teammates joined him in celebrating. With this victory Federer has won everything there is to win
in tennis including Olympic gold, ATP world tour titles, Masters titles, Grand Slams etc.

A few words about the Davis Cup in general. This was my first Davis Cup final and I was not disappointed. I have watched a number of tennis
matches in different competitions in different parts of the world, but the atmosphere in this Davis Cup final was unbelievable. I would say that
this final was an amalgamation of a Grand Slam final, a football match, a carnival and a party. The supporters that attended the event are some
of the most passionate tennis supporters one can find. Because this is a competition between countries, any one attending will feel the
patriotism in the air. Unlike most tennis matches and competitions where the fans are restrained, in the Davis Cup final everything is allowed.
For instance the partisan French supporters jeered Federer who is widely loved throughout the tennis world. Stan Wawrinka was not spared
either, as someone in the crowd tried to unsettle him in his match against Tsonga by screaming cry baby in reference to the alleged comments
made by Federer's wife to Wawrinka during the ATP tournament held a week earlier. Whenever Federer or Wawrinka double faulted, the crowd
would cheer. In contrast, the French players were cheered all the time. During the breaks the crowd would sing the French national anthem
and allez les bleu with the Swiss fans responding Hop Suisse. During rallies someone in the crowd would shout to distract the players. If
there was one player who got the most out of the crowd, it was Gail Monfils. In his match against Federer, he used the crowd to his advantage.
Whenever he scored a great winner, he will turn to the crowd, fist punch or yell or raise his hands urging them to rally behind him. The French
crowd kept screaming and shouting none stop for nearly three days until Switzerland finally won the cup and then it was the time for the
Switzerland fans to take over.
In conclusion, It has been an amazing 2014 for me as far as tennis is concerned. I got to complete a calendar fan Grand Slam and also see my
wonderful sister Serena Jameka Williams silence the player haters by winning her 18th Grand Slam title. I also got to see some amazing tennis
and watch some of the greatest players to ever grace the game ply their trade. I pray that 2015 will be another great year of tennis and may it
bring more success for my sister Queen Serena.
I hope you all enjoy the pictures that I took at the ATP World Tour Final and the Davis Cup Final.
Regards
Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA
November 2014

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DAVIS CUP MOMENT