Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/916935
ITFWORLD WINTER 2017 23 www.itftennis.com opening set before closing out a 76(5) 63 62 victory. "It's always special to play Davis Cup on Sunday," said Goffin who, in country colours, was as animated as you'll ever see him on a tennis court. "It's probably the best day with the crowd and the atmosphere. I played my best tennis and to win my second point of the weekend is something unbelievable." That left world No. 18 Pouille and 77th- ranked Darcis to fight out a fifth rubber, and with the Belgian already responsible for tie-clinching victories over Germany's Alexander Zverev and Australia's Jordan Thompson in 2017, the scene was set for a cracking showdown despite the gulf in ranking. Pouille, though, proved immense, breaking Darcis seven times and dropping just four games in a stunning display that crushed Belgium's dreams of a first triumph in the competition following runner-up finishes in the 1904 and 2015 finals. Darcis was distraught, admitting he got "two whippings" during the weekend, but Belgian captain Johan Van Herck saw enough to know that his team have a bright future in the competition. "Even though we lost today, we showed that one day we will win the Davis Cup," said Van Herck. "Of course we're disappointed but we have to accept it. We win together, we lose together, and we can be proud of what we did." Goffin, especially, could hold his head high, ending the year with six wins out of six, and improving to 21-3 in Davis Cup singles rubbers. Team unity is what Davis Cup is all about, after all, so it's fitting that Nicolas Mahut should have the last word on a classy performance for France that drew an audience of 15 million people on French television. "French people were waiting for more than 15 years for this — that's a long time with the team we have, with so many good players," Mahut acknowledged. "Year after year we were losing and finally we have the title. For me it's a special week and we need time to really appreciate the moment." The Belgian team at the official dinner Steve Darcis was devastated to lose the fifth rubber Thousands of Belgian fans travelled to Lille