MADRID(AP) Spain's prime minister has honored the Davis Cup-winning team in a ceremony at his official residence.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero praised the players Monday for successfully defending the title after completing a 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic in the final on Sunday.
Zapatero says the country's overall sporting success has coincided with a period of dominance in tennis.
Rafael Nadal opened the best-of-five series on indoor clay with a victory over Tomas Berdych. On Sunday, he beat Jan Hajek to help Spain close out its win. His teammates included Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, Feliciano Lopez and David Ferrer.
Spain has won four Davis Cup finals, 20 consecutive best-of-five series on clay and 18 straight series at home going back to 1999.