Cilic shares a big praise for Del Potro: "Tennis was unfair to him"

02/21/2024 05:00 PM

Marin Cilic gave a long interview to the Argentine newspaper Olé, in which he talked about the 2016 Davis Cup final, won by Argentina, in Zagreb.

During the interview, Cilic praised Juan Martin Del Potro, highlighting how he was one of those people who always made you smile in the dressing room.

"I think tennis was unfair to Del Potro, especially for everything he represented. Juan Martín was an incredible player, he won the 2009 US Open, I remember seeing him when he returned to his country and more than 150,000 people welcomed him , he was an icon for young people, an idol for many for his way of playing.

He has always behaved well on the court. He also won the Davis Cup, the silver medal at the Olympic Games and many other trophies. We grew up together, throughout his career I was able to see up close everything he was capable of doing," said the 2014 US Open winner.

"I have always admired Argentine athletes, I know how difficult the times this country is experiencing from an economic point of view, despite having a great history behind them, given that many come from small towns or humble areas, but continue to show the world all their souls," added Cilic.

Cilic lost one of the most painful matches of his career with Del Potro: the decisive match for the 2016 Davis Cup won by Argentina.

"Obviously it was a big disappointment, because we were playing at home and we were very close to winning, but the next day I felt good. I gave my all on the court but in the end the winner was Juan Martín, who played an incredible game. Obviously I could have won, but I was left with the great moment it was for tennis. It was a fantastic best-of-five battle, but as fate would have it, the Cup went to Argentina," he analyzed.

Cilic took part in the tournament in Buenos Aires this week. Defeated in the first round by Serbian Laslo Djere.