Davis Cup Final France vs Belgium

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David Goffin might be the greatest player in tennis history, pound for pound, inch for inch. Somehow this five-foot, eleven inch, 150 pounder, who could pass for a ballboy or an ITF 16s junior at Hollywood casting, is really a gargantuan tennis terror in disguise. A week ago Goffin swept through the ATP World Tour Finals all the way to the finals in London where he lost by a nose to Grigor Dimitrov 64 in the third.

Five days later in France, Goffin dominated a guy, Lucas Pouille, he was 0-3 head to head against, in three straight sets. And today, Goffin is dominating Jo Tsonga, ahead two sets to love and just a set from leveling this tie at 2-2, forcing a it all to come down to a final death match between Steve Darcis and either Richard Gasquet or Pouille.

We saw Juan Martin Del Potro play WTF and then come up with a failed Davis Cup final loss to Feliciano Lopez, which most likely cost Argentina the Cup. We saw Roger Federer pull out of WTF final and then lose a crushing singles match in the Davis Cup final to Gael Monfils less than a week later. But somehow Goffin is showing physical strength and fortitude above and beyond heavyweights like Fed and Delpo.

How is Goffin doing it? Is he that good? Yes, he must be. And maybe the pound for pound, inch for inch greatest player in tennis history, or at least in that special echelon with Marcelo Rios, Michael Chang, Lleyton Hewitt, Ken Rosewall, Rod Laver, Olivier Rochus, Pancho Segura,

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Speaking of Monfils, where is he? Benneteau, Chardy, Simon and Mahut were all left off Yannick Noah’s final four roster but they are all there in France supporting their countrymen however Monfils is conspicuously absent. Even Fabrice Santoro is there in the house in the front row of French supporters.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

This Davis Cup was France vs Goffin. Too bad Goffin couldn't clone himself and played doubles yesterday, then it would be assured Goffin would have won the Davis Cup for ... shoudl we even call it Belgium anymore of Goffin's nation? Headlines will read Fracne won the Davis Cup over Belgium but Goffin won two thirds of the Cup and France should break off a piece and give it to Goffin

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Catherine; France should share the Cup in a draw with Goffin

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Didn't see but what a superman performance by Pouille, according to the lopsided scoreline vs Darcis. What a disappointment for poor Darcis to be destroyed like that. He was brilliant beating Nadal, a win most people won't remember and could be overshadowed by this debacle today. Hopefully today does not overshadow the Nadal win as Darcis's defining moment.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Duke; After seeing what Goffin achieved these last two weeks I would not put anything out of his reach in 2018. We saw him up a break and a break point for the second break on Rafa in Rome or Monte Carlo but then the chair ump made a horrific overrule and Rafa then held and Goffin fell apart but he should have been up two breaks on Rafa on clay. Goffin is capable of winning a major next year. Maybe two. This guy is unreal.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

It's really a shock and a Herculean miraculous effort that Belgium got to the final. Darcis was heroic prior, winning all five fifth rubbers, 5-0 in fifth rubbers before yesterday's flop. Look at all the good teams with depth who failed this year in Davis Cup and then lil Belgium made it all the way to the fifth match in the final. What Belgium did this year in Davis Cup is one of the big surprises and remarkable achievements of the year 2017.