• What the Deuce

Spain fail to cap off perfect summer

Rafael Nadal was in South Africa to watch the Spain football team crowned World Cup champions © Getty Images

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Victory in the Davis Cup this weekend would have been the icing on the cake after an incredible sporting month for Spain. Even without world No. 1 Rafael Nadal on the teamsheet, the Spanish team is a major force and was expected to roll over France, who hadn't beaten Spain since 1923.

World No. 10 Fernando Verdasco and No. 12 David Ferrer were named alongside Nicolas Almagro and Feliciano Lopez; all ranked inside the world top 25.

France, too were without their best player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but their four players had a cumulative ranking of 116, compared with Spain's 67.

And yet the two-time defending champions were trounced 5-0 as France recorded their first victory over the Spanish in 87 years to book their place in the Davis Cup semi-finals. It was the first time Spain had failed to win a rubber in a Davis Cup tie since April 1957.

Before the summer, a Davis Cup victory for Spain would have seemed a relatively safe bet - they were unbeaten in over three years.

But Spain were denied the clean sweep following Nadal's victory at Wimbledon and the Spanish football team's first World Cup victory by a well-drilled French team.

Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra sealed the win with victory in the doubles

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The French used their home advantage to maximum effect - Spain's players' strengths lie on the clay courts, and so the hard indoor courts at Clermont-Ferrand were picked as the venue.

"France beating Spain was a massive surprise," said ESPN.co.uk columnist Chris Wilkinson. "France were pretty smart about it - played on a fast surface and tactically they got it spot on."

While the presence of Andy Murray is capable of swinging a result for Great Britain in the lowly depths of Group II of the Europe/Africa Zone, Spain cannot blame their humiliating defeat on Nadal's absence. Behind world No. 4 Murray, Britain do not have another player in the top 100 - Alex Bogdanovic is the second top-ranked Briton at No. 175 in the world rankings.

Spain, on the other hand, have 13 players in the top 100; seven in the top 30. A strong team spirit and solid foundation has seen the Spanish team win four titles in ten years, but they looked devoid of ideas without their talisman Nadal as they slumped to a humiliating defeat.

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