Rafael Nadal jolted electricity into the new Davis Cup Finals.
A spirited Nadal fought off Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7) to level Spain with Russian before a packed crowd in Madrid's La Caja Magica who responded chanting "Rafa! Rafa!"
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The Spanish doubles team of Feliciano Lopez, the Mutua Madrid Open tournament director, and Marcel Granollers topped Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6 to clinch Spain's 2-1 triumph over Russia that ended shortly before 2 a.m. local time.
Afterward, the world No. 1 offered his review of the new World Cup-style Davis Cup Finals that have ushered in the most radical format changes in the competition's 119-year history.
Among the changes, each tie is best-of-three matches featuring two singles and one doubles clash, a departure from Davis Cup's traditional best-of-five match ties with four singles and one doubles match played on the middle day of the competition.
Nadal called the energy and atmosphere of the new Davis Cup Finals "amazing", while suggesting the match format and scheduling were challenging.
"The format makes things very difficult because every mistake puts you in a position that you don't want to be," Nadal told the media in Madrid. "The atmosphere has been amazing.
"The only negative thing in my opinion is we are just starting the last match at 1 a.m. That makes big trouble for us, for the players and the people who come to the stadium because tomorrow is a work day."
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