ITF

HE MAY HAVE DISMISSED ANY SUGGESTION OF REDEMPTION BUT MARIN CILIC WOULD NOT BE HUMAN IF HE DID NOT FEEL A DEGREE of atonement as his perfectly-executed lob shot deceived Frenchman Lucas Pouille at Stade Pierre Mauroy in November. Two years earlier, Croatia were in touching distance of their second Davis Cup by BNP Paribas crown on the home soil of Zagreb as they led Argentina 2-1 and Cilic held a commanding two-set advantage in the fourth and potentially-decisive rubber. But Juan Martin del Potro came storming back during a marathon encounter, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and triggering a sequence of events which culminated in Federico Delbonis brushing aside Ivo Karlovic as Argentina prevailed 3-2. As the 2018 Davis Cup finale unfolded and history hinted at repetition, Cilic was again centre stage on the final day, shouldering the burden of expectation and knowing the overpowering of Pouille would see Croatia eclipse defending champions France. World No. 7 Cilic was in no mood to rekindle past memories and made no mistake on the clay of Lille, brutally dispatching Pouille in straight sets, 76 63 63, to give Croatia an unassailable lead and their first Davis Cup triumph since 2005. When asked about his heartbreaking loss to Del Potro, Cilic preferred to accentuate the achievements of the Croatia side as a whole. He said: "I'm not looking at things like that. This team has done incredibly well throughout the years. It's a team effort. "It's not every day you become world champions and it is a dream come true for this nation. This is a weekend from the dreams and I am extremely proud of the win. You can see that the fans are so passionate. In Croatia, it's going to be incredible too." ITFWorld // WINTER 2018 13 Marin Cilic kept his composure to guide Croatia to victory in the fourth rubber ➝

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