Federer romped to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win to hand the Swiss an unbeatable 3-1 lead after Stan Wawrinka had won the opening singles of the match and the world number two and four had teamed up to win the doubles on Saturday.
It was one of the greatest sporting triumphs for Switzerland, the 14th nation to win the Davis Cup, and a huge personal milestone for Federer to go with his 17 Grand Slam titles, six Masters titles and Olympic doubles gold.
"It's an an enormous pleasure for me, I've waited 15 years for this," Federer said. "This has been a perfect weekend in a crazy atmosphere and all the Swiss fans helped us enormously.
But he refused to accept that finally winning the Davis Cup made him the greatest player of all-time. "That's of no importance to me, what matters is that I enjoy playing tennis," he added.
Federer had expected to play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first of Sunday's two rubbers, but the French number one, who lost to Wawrinka in four sets on Friday, was struggling with an arm injury and generally out of sorts.
In came Gasquet with the monumental task of defeating Federer and opening the door for the possibility of the in-form Monfils defeating Wawrinka in the decider.
Another world record crowd of 27,488 roared their support for Gasquet as the two players came out on to the red claycourt set down inside one half of a roofed over Lille football stadium.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
