The Top Matches of 2016, No. 3: Del Potro d. Cilic (Davis Cup Final)

There were at least three five-set Davis Cup classics in 2016 that could have made this list. First, in March, Andy Murray beat Kei Nishikori in four hours and 54 minutes in the opening-round tie between Great Britain and Japan. Then, in September, Juan Martin del Potro beat Murray in five hours and seven minutes to lead Argentina past the UK in the semifinals. Two months later, Del Potro did it again, with a four hour and 53-minute win over Marin Cilic that helped Argentina beat Croatia and claim its long-awaited first Davis Cup title.

All of those matches were worth memorializing, but I’ve chosen Delpo-Cilic for our Top 10 because it happened in the final, it essentially decided the Cup and it was an immense physical test for both of these 6’6”, 28-year-old friends and rivals. Delpo and Cilic had won their singles matches on Friday, and had come back out for the doubles on Saturday. But they showed no signs of tiring through nearly five hours of hard-nosed rallies on Sunday.

I also chose this match because it represents one of the things that I think is best about Davis Cup, and which many people in tennis would like to change. One of the primary complaints about the event is that its schedule makes it inconvenient for the Big Four. Marketing-wise and money-wise, it would be better for the Cup if the game’s star players were always involved, and if the final came down to a five-setter between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. But as someone who watches those stars dominate all year long, I enjoy seeing guys like Del Potro and Cilic—each of whom had an excellent season, but neither of whom challenged for a Slam title—get a chance to play for something historic.

Del Potro and Cilic both rose to that historic occasion at year’s end in Zagreb, and produced the third best match of 2016. Here’s a look at the 30 minutes of highlights (above) from Delpo’s 6-7 (4), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 win.

—For a good three hours, Cilic looked like he was going to be the hero of the weekend, and of the Davis Cup season. He had beaten Federico Delbonis in the tie’s first rubber, and teamed with Ivan Dodig to win the doubles for the third straight time in 2016. On Sunday, with a chance to clinch Croatia’s second Cup, he came out on fire against Del Potro. Cilic broke Delpo with a topspin lob in the second game, and he was the much more energetic player in the early going. While Delpo sliced his backhand, Cilic controlled the rallies with his forehands, and came up with big serves when he needed them. At 5-2 in the first-set tiebreaker, Cilic hit a forehand crosscourt pass at full stretch. It’s the type of inspired, ultra-athletic shot you don’t see often from this meat-and-potatoes player.

—For the most part, Cilic played the type of match that many of us have been waiting 10 years to see from him. He was positive, proactive and clutch, and three times he brought Croatia to within two games of the Cup. But Delpo won’t let him cross the finish line.

The big Argentine is a slow starter. His game is the tennis equivalent of a tank; it takes a while to maneuver into position, but when it does, you probably want to get out of its path. In the semifinals, with Argentina down 2-1 on the road in Glasgow, Del Potro came back from two sets to one down to beat Murray, a man who wouldn’t lose another match all season. In Zagreb, again on the road and again with Argentina facing elimination, Delpo came back from two sets to love down.

An expert showman, he begins his self-resurrection in suitably dramatic style. With Cilic serving at 5-6 in the third, Delpo reaches set point. Cilic hits a strong first serve and comes in behind a short but finely measured backhand. Del Potro, with a sudden surge of energy, flips a pass crosscourt and, without breaking stride, moves in for a forehand volley kill shot on the next ball. With one fell swoop, he’s back in the match, and the Argentine crowd has reason to hope.

—Yet the match still appears to be Cilic’s in the fourth set. Serving at 3-4, he begins to play some of his best tennis, and it looks for a split second as if he’s going to sprint away with a career-making victory. Serving at 3-4, Cilic clubs a forehand winner and holds at love. At 4-4, he goes down 40-0, but plays some of the best tennis of the day to fight back to deuce.

But then, what seems to be a break for Cilic quickly turns into a match-changing disaster for him. We don’t see it in this clip, but Del Potro is assessed a time violation at deuce, and has his first serve taken away. Incensed, he wins the next point with a big second serve. Just like that, the momentum shifts to Delpo’s side. He holds and breaks to win the fourth. While Cilic hangs on gamely in the fifth, Del Potro, like that aforementioned tank, eventually rolls over him with his superior power. When the chips are down, it seems, the best thing that can happen to a player is to get a time violation. It lit a fire in Delpo that never went out.

—Cilic, so close to being the hero, could only watch as Croatia’s No. 2 player, Ivo Karlovic, lost to Delbonis in the deciding fifth rubber. Cilic hit more aces (34 to 16) and winners (45 to 22) than Del Potro, and the Croat even won one more point (162 to 161). But like the No. 4 match on our Top 10 list, Monica Puig’s golden win over Angelique Kerber in Rio, this one felt like destiny. From the time his comeback began in March, Delpo had been the feel-good story of the season. It was only fitting that he would end 2016 by breaking Argentina’s Cup curse.

Oh, and did you know that Del Potro did it all with a broken finger?

“My finger is broken, but I won’t mind if we win the Davis Cup,” he said. “This was an emotionally exhausting match and one of the biggest wins of my career. Thanks to all those who prevented me from retiring. I was very close to never playing again, and now, well, here I am.”

Argentina’s tennis fans thanked Del Potro right back. He had won silver for them at the Olympics, and now he had struck gold in Zagreb. The thousands of blue-and-white shirts in the audience—including one held high by Diego Maradona—were proof of what this win, and Delpo’s part in it, meant to them.