Rhys De Deugd recounts golden moments from Australia’s Davis and Billie Jean King Cup Finals campaigns in Malaga as he joins the groups as a content material producer.
Malaga, Spain, 25 November 2024 | Rhys de Deugd@BJKCup group is on the identical web page 🗒️#GoAussies #BJKCup pic.twitter.com/tF0hU71DLp
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My baggage ultimately arrived, which means I might now don the inexperienced and gold for the primary time.
Getting into the pop-up Billie Jean King Cup stadium with the group gave me goosebumps and nerves, regardless of the very fact I used to be holding a digicam and never a racquet.
Quickly the stands started to pack with followers, and I took my seat subsequent to the gamers’ bench because the introductions and pre-match gentle present created intense anticipation.
The nationwide anthems performed, and feelings obtained the higher of me as I began to cry. This was a particular feeling.
Though the Australians misplaced their quarterfinal tie to eventual finalists Slovakia, the general expertise and reference to the group is one thing I’ll treasure endlessly.
The Rafael Nadal Farewell
It will be remiss to depart out the truth that one in all Spain’s greatest-ever athletes was calling time on his illustrious profession in Malaga.
Murals and billboards crammed the town streets with the lettering ‘Gracias Rafa’, and watching the 1000’s of followers wearing pink and yellow all through the week, you knew that they had been flocking simply to catch a glimpse the good Rafael Nadal one final time earlier than he retired.
The BJK Cup group was fortunate sufficient to get greater than a glimpse, capturing some golden content material. Ready for Nadal to complete follow and pretending to take a group picture within the path he was about to stroll previous, we politely requested if he would be part of the picture. There it was – the video of the occasion.
> WATCH VIDEO HERE: Australian BJK Cup group get picture with Rafael Nadal
On the eleventh hour, I used to be in a position to rating a seat within the stadium for what ended up being his closing skilled match. One more ‘pinch myself’ second, watching my childhood hero dash from the web to the bassline for the ultimate time.
The sector had an environment extra corresponding to a European soccer sport than a tennis match. And whereas the 22-time Grand Slam champion fought arduous towards giant-killer Botic Van De Zandschulp, Nadal was unable to tug out a fairytale victory.
The Davis Cup
After the Billie Jean Cup competitors concluded, all eyes turned to the Davis Cup groups, together with final yr’s finalists Australia.
Working alongside the legendary Aussie group felt in a means like I had lastly made it to the place I dreamed of being as a younger tennis hopeful in low junior sections of my native tennis competitors.
There was an aura round captain Lleyton Hewitt and the group, in how they went about their enterprise in follow and their routine. It felt just like the group really believed they had been in it to go one higher this yr and raise the cup for the primary time since 2003.
The quarterfinals set the stage for an epic showdown: Australia towards the USA – the best rivalry in Davis Cup historical past.
I sat courtside for an epic battle within the opening singles rubber, as Thanasi Kokkinakis upset American Ben Shelton in a deciding tiebreak for the historical past books, and in my view the match of the match.
I marvelled courtside at how each athletes persistently fired down serves of over 210 km/h, proper up till the ultimate level of the final-set tiebreak at 15-14, the place a relaxed Kokkinakis sealed it after saving 4 match factors.
The group was crammed with overwhelming pleasure as Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden secured the tie with a doubles victory.
Standing behind the digicam, I felt a surge of satisfaction and emotion. Witnessing the pure elation, I felt a part of it.
Two days later when the group confronted Italy, it was a contrasting feeling of heartbreak because the 2024 Davis Cup journey got here to an finish for the boys in inexperienced and gold.
I hope to reside these experiences on the closing levels of the ‘world cup of tennis’.
Identical to the group, I really feel hungry for extra success.
Discover your method to play: Go to play.tennis.com.au to get out on court docket and have some enjoyable!
