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Team Croatia paid a hilarious tribute to Marin Cilic as he remained missing in action during their ongoing Davis Cup Group stage ties held in Bologna.
The former US Open champion decided to skip the Davis Cup group stage citing an injury after his fourth-round stint at the 2022 US Open, where he lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Marin Cilic, however, was present in spirit to cheer on his comrades during their rubber against Argentina. His countrymen placed a picture of him in his allotted chair to motivate themselves during the matches.
After losing to Italy 3-0 in their opening rubber, the Croats decided to channel the 33-year-old’s spirit, considering him their lucky charm. Borna Gojo, who made a winning start against the South Americans, remarked that their strategy to have Cilic’s picture in his personal chair in the stands was working in their favor.
“So I was in Madrid 2019 when Marin wasn’t there, and I lost all of my matches and the team lost all of the matches 3-0, so we tried to say, after the first day, after we lost to Italy 3-0 and we were down 1-0 to Sweden, we said, lets try to bring his spirit together with us so maybe something changes, and I guess it’s working,” he said.
Marin Cilic was quick to reassure the team and all the concerned fans that he was alright and cheering on his compatriots from afar.
“Proof of life pic for all those concerned tweets. Just cheering the team on from afar. Idemooo,” he confirmed.
The Davis Cup organizers then indulged in a little banter with the former World No. 3, saying that his absence did not stop them from providing him with a bottle of water.
“Missing you Marin You still get a bottle of water on the bench,” the official page joked.
Croatia eventually won all three of their matches against Argentina.
Marin Cilic led Croatia to victory at the 2018 Davis Cup
Marin Cilic along with Borna Coric, Mate Pavic and Ivan Dodig defeated France to lift the Davis Cup in 2018. Croatia has additionally won the Davis Cup in 2005. Cilic was also a part of the team in 2021 when they finished as the runner-up, losing to the Russian Tennis Federation in the final.
This year’s team, which includes Borna Coric, Borna Gojo, Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, have been placed in Group A alongside Italy, Sweden and Argentina. With Argentina already out of contention, Croatia are close to registering their place in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup unless Sweden pulls off a 3-0 upset against group leaders Italy on Sunday.
Also Checkout:- Davis Cup 2022 Schedule
