SUPERSTAR showdowns are surprisingly rare when it comes to the sharp end of Davis Cup action. In the end the widely anticipated exception to that rule between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray scheduled for Serbia this summer didn't come to pass, with the world's top two tennis players deciding to opt out of the quarter-final tie.
The fiendish scoring system dreamed up by Dwight Davis ensures that this competition is never just an individual contest, but as it turned out that box office match-up in the so-called world cup of team tennis was in all likelihood merely delayed by a round. If the evidence of a classic Olympic singles final over four hours over in Rio de Janeiro is anything to go by - Murray eventually won 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 to claim a second successive gold medal - the Emirates Arena is bracing itself this weekend for the mother of personal duels between Murray and Juan Martin del Potro. As weary as their bodies were when they finally admitted defeat, within a couple of hours of each other, in their efforts to claim a second US Open title it is a fair bet that these two supreme competitors were already relishing the prospect of rejoining battle in the East End of Glasgow.
The notion that Britain's first Davis Cup win in 79 years was forever fated to be a one-off, never-to-be-repeated event has been dispelled by the continued emergence of Leon Smith's supporting cast. Dan Evans, who had match point at the US Open against today's eventual finalist Stan Wawrinka, has risen to world No 64, his form handing captain Leon Smith something of a headache, considering Kyle Edmund (84) took care of Richard Gasquet and John Isner at Flushing Meadows before going down to Djokovic. At the time of writing Jamie Murray and his partner Bruno Soares are preparing to contest the US Open final.
Argentina captain Daniel Orsanic is hardly intimidated by such strength and depth, though. Like Smith, he too can call on a committed unit with an excellent team ethic, with Del Potro's wilderness years suffering from a wrist problem meaning he is in fact the lowest ranked singles player on the team. Crafty lefty Federico Delbonis hasn't been in the greatest form, but he is still ranked in the world's top 50 and has a win against Andy Murray on his back catalogue from earlier this year. Guido Pella (51) is blessed with a fine backhand and accompanied Del Potro to a fine five-set doubles win in the previous round against Italy. The experienced Leonardo Mayer (117) is no mean player either. But it is Murray against Del Potro, mano-a-mano, which will be the highlight for the sell-out Glasgow crowd.
"These are two players with unbelievable fighting qualities, I mean both of them really put on a showcase for our sport in that final," Smith said. "It was an incredible tennis match, very difficult physically, emotionally and mentally. Both players, because it rained one day, had to play day-to-day matches. In slams you get a day's reprieve between matches but to have two players to go out and play a four-hour tennis match like that of such unbelievable quality was unreal.
"He [Del Potro] will be very difficult opponent. He is good on that surface, full of confidence, and has his match fitness back. He obviously had a big win at Wimbledon then out the next round. He has had other big wins the last two or three months but now he has followed it up, with a final. His body is obviously feeling better, better at recovering match to match.
"They have got a really good squad. They have tonnes of players in the top 100, and a really good team spirit. Gone are the days when they could just play on a clay court - now they can play on any surface. Del Potro's emergence has been very very strong. Delbonis has had a good year, although his last couple of months have not been so strong. Del Potro coming into form gives them a timely boost. But we have Andy in form, Jamie at the top of the men's game in doubles, and also the emergence of Dan Evans who is in very good form on a surface that he likes and Kyle Edmund too so we are not in a bad situation either."
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