Steve Darcis will forever be remembered globally for his stunning upset over Rafael Nadal in the first round of Wimbledon in 2013. But in Belgium, his legacy is far more deeply rooted: he is known affectionately as “Mr. Davis Cup.”

Across a 12-year Davis Cup career, the now 41-year-old won 23 of his 35 singles rubbers, including the decisive victory against Argentina in the 2015 semi-final. He was instrumental again in 2017 as Belgium reached another final, though heartbreak followed with defeats to both Britain in 2015 and France in 2017—the latter ending with Darcis losing a painful deciding fifth rubber.

Today, he leads Belgium not on court but from the captain’s chair, and once again his influence is proving invaluable. On Tuesday in Bologna, Belgium moved within one tie of returning to the Davis Cup final after a stunning 2–0 quarter-final win over France.

Bench Energy, Big Wins

Darcis may no longer be winning points himself, but his presence loomed large as Raphael Collignon and Zizou Bergs toppled higher-ranked opposition to seal Belgium’s victory.

“I think the bench helped me a lot,” Collignon said after coming from a set down to defeat Corentin Moutet on the opening day of the Final Eight. “My coach and captain also helped me on the bench. When I’m doubting, when it’s tough during the match, he (Darcis) has the right words.”

Collignon, 23 and ranked No. 86, has now earned three singles wins in this year’s competition. His earlier victories over Alex de Minaur and Aleksandar Vukic were crucial as Belgium shocked Australia in September to reach Bologna.

“Since I was a kid, I was watching every tie from Belgium,” he said. “I was watching my idols, like David Goffin. Also Steve, my captain now. I always wanted to play this competition. It was a dream at the start, and then it became a goal as I got better.”

Eyes on History

Belgium will face either Italy or Austria in the semi-final. Darcis knows his squad is without household names but insists they have the belief and togetherness to push for a first-ever Davis Cup title.

“Italy is missing its two best players in Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, but they’re still a fantastic team,” Darcis said. “They have a lot of options, but in the Davis Cup anything can happen. We’ll be ready to give it our all on Friday. We want to go as far as possible.”

With Darcis at the helm, Belgium’s Davis Cup dream is very much alive—and the nation’s “Mr. Davis Cup” may yet guide them to their greatest triumph of all.