Australia won the Davis Cup for the 28th time today when a courageous Mark Philippoussis beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in a five-set struggle in Melbourne.
Needing to win just one of the two concluding rubbers to secure the title, Australia snatched an unassailable 3-1 lead when Philippoussis defied injury to beat the French Open champion 7-5 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-0.
Philippoussis needed medical treatment on a pectoral muscle after the fourth set when the momentum had suddenly turned against him but he decided to play on in agony.
"There was no way I was going to pull out," Philippoussis said. "This is Davis Cup and you leave your heart out there. At the end of the day I was completely numb. I felt like I wasn't playing but watching from the sideline. It just shows how much this means to all of us. It has been a long year and it was our goal."
The final match between Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Moya was called off as the players and crowd burst into spontaneous celebration.
Australia were always heavy favourites to win tennis's most famous team trophy after playing at home on a temporary grass court that suited their players.
Friday's opening singles had been split 1-1 after Hewitt beat Ferrero in five sets and Philippoussis lost to Moya but the odds were dramatically shortened in the hosts' favour when Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge won Saturday's doubles rubber.
Despite Australia's great record in Davis Cup, they had not won the title on home soil since 1986 and their only win since then was in France in 1999 when Philippoussis was again the hero.
Australia lost the 2000 final to Spain in Barcelona and were odds-on favourites to beat France at home two years but lost in the deciding rubber.
Filed by James Boylan
