LILLE, France, (Reuters) – Roger Federer produced a vintage performance to crush Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 and seal Switzerland’s maiden Davis Cup title with a 3-1 win over hosts France on Sunday.
The 17-times grand slam champion shook off back problems during the weekend and recovered from Friday’s defeat by Gael Monfils to hand France a third defeat in their last three finals.
With Federer imperious on serve, there was a sense of inevitability in the air at the Pierre Mauroy stadium despite the support of a record 27,448 raucous crowd and Gasquet’s decent level of play.
He made more unforced errors than the gifted Frenchman — 24 to 21 — but hit an astonishing 62 winners, kneeling down before lying on his chest after wrapping up the match with a cunning drop shot.
