Argentine hero Diego Maradona sees his countrymen level Davis Cup final against Croatia
Football legend is courtside as Juan Martin del Potro beats veteran Ivo Karlovic to draw his country back level at 1-1
Argentina football legend Diego Maradona was courtside as Juan Martin del Potro beat veteran Ivo Karlovic to draw his country back level at 1-1 against Croatia in the Davis Cup final on Friday.
Maradona, 56, who inspired Argentina to glory at the 1986 World Cup, watched on with his girlfriend as Croatia went 1-0 up when Marin Cilic battled back from a mid-match collapse to beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-2 at the Zagreb Arena.
But in the second rubber Del Potro left the final all square when he despatched big-serving 37-year-old giant Karlovic 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 7-5.
Del Potro, 28, is a veteran of two losing finals – both against Spain in 2008 and 2011 – while Karlovic is the oldest player to feature in a Davis Cup singles match since 43-year-old Australian Norman Brookes in 1920.
Del Potro was rock solid, allowing the Croat not one break point in the entire match which kept the 15,000-capacity crowd enthralled for three hours and 19 minutes.
“I was nervous after I lost the second set but in the end I had to take the longer road to victory,” said Del Potro.
Earlier, former US Open champion Cilic appeared to be cruising towards a routine victory only to lose his way after storming into a two-set lead over the world number 41.
Backed by an impassioned crowd, Cilic regained his nerve in the final set, breaking his opponent in the first game and building on that momentum to eventually close out victory in three hours and 30 minutes.
“The crowd helped me to stay in there, it was not easy,” said Cilic.
Four-time runners-up Argentina are chasing a first title, while Croatia are looking to emulate their 2005 triumph over Slovakia.
Saturday’s doubles are slated to pit Croatian duo Ivan Dodig and Franko Skugor against Leonardo Mayer and Guido Pella, although the line-ups could change.