Just when you think the tennis season is over the Davis Cup final comes around with a mouth-watering face-off between a Juan Martin del Potro-led Argentina and Marin Cilic-led Croatia to force everyone to stay tuned just a little while longer.
The country v country competition has been drawing criticism from numerous top players who claim the poor scheduling is forcing them to skip their national duty, with Novak Djokovic amongst those most vocal about the need for a format change. Yet here we are, getting ready to watch a huge final in Zagreb that features an exciting line-up. I’m not saying Davis Cup doesn’t need a revamp – it does – but I also find this weekend’s final incredibly intriguing.
Del Potro has an opportunity to make history for Argentina and claim their first-ever Davis Cup crown. Up to No38 after starting the year ranked outside the top-1000, Del Potro can finish the year in the most inspiring way possible. Can you imagine the kind of momentum such a victory would give him heading into 2017? We’ve witnessed how Davis Cup title victories have spurred on others in the past. It may be a scheduling nightmare but Davis Cup does have a magical effect to it.
On paper, Croatia have the stronger side with Cilic, Ivo Karlovic and Borna Coric all ranked in the top-50 and they’re armed with a sharp doubles player in Ivan Dodig. The average ranking of the Argentina squad on the other hand is 72. The South Americans have defied rankings this year though.
Their lowest-ranked player, Leonardo Mayer (137), was the hero of the semi-finals as he clinched the decisive fifth rubber against to down the Brits in Glasgow. Mayer is on a 10-match winning streak in Davis Cup singles and is proving to be his nation’s not-so-secret weapon. Cilic is in-form and plans on rallying the home crowd behind him while the 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic is out to show that age is really just a number. Coric can put to bed a tough year behind him.
Argentina are trying to become just the second nation to win all four away Davis Cup ties in one season and the odds are stacked against them. But something tells me this will be a close one.
Both teams got a good look at what's at stake when they came face-to-face with the #DavisCup at the official dinner! pic.twitter.com/hxg7IWQLcO
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 23, 2016
