There is a certain atmosphere that Davis Cup brings to tennis that really cannot be matched.

It’s not just about the fans in the stadiums; the players and their countries care in unity on a level that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the sport. Maybe that is part of the reason why so many lower-ranked players seem to bring their absolute best (and then some) when representing their countries.

It is more than just that though. There is a level of pride in this year-long event that most fans don’t realize. Countries that don’t have any ranked professional tennis players yearn to compete in this event. At the lower tiers, young teenagers, older coaches, and everyone in between competes to bring their country just a tiny bit of tennis glory. It is a showcase for the sport on a global scale and can often bring true national sporting heroes to the forefront.

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray: These two Davis Cup heroes lead their respective teams, and are two of the best players in the world with already full schedules. When they play, they are expected to win their rubbers. But the fact is, top players don’t often participate in Davis Cup. This past weekend’s tie was following the US Open (where Nadal played seven matches and Murray played five) and most players wouldn’t be questioned for needing a rest. Still, Spain and England were each in the World Group Play-offs, and a loss would mean relegation to Group 1 for their countries. So these two top players decided to abandon their vacations and make sure that their teams at least had the ability to compete in the World Group next year. It is something that top players often do not do, but these two deserve kudos just for showing up.

Steve Darcis: Davis Cup was Darcis’ first tour-level match since beating Nadal at Wimbledon. He withdrew before his next match and took a few months to recover from injury. He played some Futures and Challengers matches during his comeback, but this was his first showing on a big scale. And he more than impressed. He won both of his singles rubbers (the second one being the deciding rubber of the tie) and even almost beat the veteran Israeli doubles team of Jonathan Ehrlich and Andy Ram. Darcis impressed not only in how he won his matches, but in the fact that he really brought home the tie for the country and moved them back into the World Group.

Bernard Tomic: Tomic has had a relatively poor year, but he always seems to get pumped up for Davis Cup. Even without Jerzy Janowicz on the Polish team, the tie was a brutally competitive one on foreign soil for the Aussies. Lleyton Hewitt commented that he wanted to get back in the World Group one more time (Australia hasn’t successfully won a Play-off tie since 2007) and did his part by winning his first singles rubber. Then Tomic took over. Tomic won both of his singles rubbers in straight sets, giving Australia their long-awaited chance back in the World Group for next year.

Michael Venus: The question of “Who is Michael Venus?” begs to be asked, and it’sperformances like his that make Davis Cup so incredible at the lower levels. Venus is a 25-year-old who has cracked into the top 300 for just five weeks in his career. He has not advanced past the second round of any event since a Futures tournament this past January. But he competed for New Zealand on an uncomfortable clay surface in the Philippines for a chance to move up into Group I. The Philippines’ players might have been lower-ranked than the New Zealanders, but they fought hard and World No. 933 Ruben Gonzales upset top 300 player Jose Statham. Venus stood tall, though, winning two 5-setters to take his country into Group I for next year where maybe, just maybe, they can pull a little more Davis Cup magic.