Juan Martin del Potro has endured more pain than most tennis players during his injury-stinted career, including four wrist surgeries during the past seven years. So of course he wasn’t going to let a broken left pinky finger stop him during his final match of the season on Sunday.

Del Potro and Marin Cilic were tied two sets a piece during their Davis Cup match when the Argentine broke his smallest left finger while trying to catch a missed Cilic serve off the bounce.

Del Potro played through the injury, though, and improved upon his already impressive 2016 by coming back from two-sets down for the first time in his career to beat Cilic 6-7(4), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 in four hours and 53 minutes. Del Potro’s win forced a fifth rubber in the Davis Cup final between Argentina and Croatia, and his teammate Federico Delbonis completed the turnaround by beating Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic to give Argentina its first Davis Cup title.

“My finger is broken but I won’t mind one bit if we win the Davis Cup,” del Potro told reporters after his win, while Delbonis was still on court. “This was an emotionally exhausting match and one of the biggest wins of my career. Thanks to all those who prevented me from retiring. I was very close to never playing again and, well, here I am.”

The 28 year old has said he thought about giving up tennis during his latest comeback. But he didn’t, and tennis fans were the beneficiaries this season.

Del Potro, No. 38 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, has climbed 1,007 spots since February. He beat Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal this season. Del Potro also became a titlist again this year, hoisting his first ATP World Tour trophy since January 2014 by winning the If Stockholm Open in October (d. Sock).

All of his accomplishments earned him his second Comeback Player of the Year honour in the 2016 ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. Del Potro also received the award in 2011 after coming back from right-wrist surgery that he underwent in May 2010. The Tandil native also had three surgeries on his left wrist in 2014 and 2015.

Join us in coming weeks as we re-live the drama and excitement of 2016 in our annual review of the ATP World Tour season.

We begin this week with the five most intriguing rivalries of 2016. We’ll also look at the best matches, biggest comebacks, most stunning upsets, statistics, hot shots, off-court fun and more.

Look for new content each day as we reflect on a great year and count down to the start of the 2017 season, which begins January 1st in Brisbane (and Jan. 2 in Doha and Chennai).

The Rivalries
Andy Murray v Milos Raonic

More to come…

To kick off our Season In Review Series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2016. Today we feature Andy Murray vs. Milos Raonic:

Two players have capped stellar seasons on the ATP World Tour with career-highs in the Top 5 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Year-end World No. 1 Andy Murray leads the pack, with a surging Milos Raonic finishing at No. 3 after a semi-final run at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Raonic nearly went one step further at the season finale, but a clutch Murray stopped him in his tracks in arguably the match of the year – a three-hour and 38-minute instant classic. With both competitors turning in career years, it’s no surprise that they faced off in multiple thrilling encounters throughout the season.

The budding rivalry had it all in 2016, with meetings on hard, clay and grass and at multiple Grand Slams and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events. It found a home in London, with final encounters on the lawns of Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, in addition to their epic under the lights at The O2. On paper, it was completely one-sided, with Murray winning all six affairs, but the drama and intensity of each encounter made it one of the best rivalries of the year.

It all started in January, with Murray and Raonic dueling in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. The Scot would prevail in a five-set, four-hour thriller, rallying from the brink of elimination to move into the final 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2. Raonic was impeded by an adductor injury as the match progressed and Murray, sensing blood in the water, would break once in the fourth set and twice more in the decider to reach his fifth title match at Melbourne Park.

After capturing their lone clay-court encounter 6-2, 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the rivalry would shift to grass. Their contrast in styles was on full display in the finals of both the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club and the third Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon. Murray had the partisan British crowd behind him, but Raonic was buoyed by his big serve on the slick courts and surging confidence in reaching his first major final. Sparks flew as Murray battled from a set and a break down to lift his fifth Queen’s Club crown and denied the Canadian’s bid for history three weeks later at the All England Club in a tight 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2) final.

“Milos has had a great few weeks on the grass and had some unbelievable wins,” said Murray after winning his second Wimbledon title. “His match against Roger in the semis was a great, great match. He is one of the hardest workers out there, always trying to improve and get better.”

“There are guys that are always sort of trying to push those barriers down that these guys try to set up,” Raonic added. “Everybody wants to win. The guy across the net from you wants to take what you’re trying to get. I did the best I could. I tried to put the things together. I tried coming forward, putting pressure on him. He was playing much better than me off the baseline. He was more effective there.”

Murray would add a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, before squaring off one last time with a spot in the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on the line. Murray stormed back from another set and a break deficit to triumph after a tournament record three hours and 38 minutes, saving one match point in a pulsating 20-point deciding tie-break. Raonic had Murray’s bid for year-end No. 1 in his hands, but the Scot wrestled free, neutralising his biggest weapons and stretching the Canadian from side to side on the baseline. Raonic demonstrated why he’s one of the elite players in the world, while Murray exhibited his growing affinity for the big moment, emerging 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(9).

“It was one of the tougher matches I played this year,” Murray said. “It was not easy… obviously with it being very long, but also mentally tiring as well.”

“I really tried to, in the best way possible, leave it all out there,” Raonic said. “I turned it around for myself twice there at the end of the third… I just did everything I could, everything that was within me, at least, to really try to win.”

View FedEx ATP Head2Head (Murray Leads 9-3)

Murray vs. Raonic: 2016 Meetings

A LOOK BACK

Columbus Challenger (Columbus, Ohio): Fourth seed and #NextGen star Stefan Kozlov picked up his first Challenger title by defeating sixth seed and fellow American Tennys Sandgren, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. The 18-year-old’s victory marks the third time in the past four weeks that an American teenager has won their maiden Challenger title, with Reilly Opelka prevailing in Charlottesville and Michael Mmoh winning in Knoxville. This is the 13^th time a teenager has won a Challenger this year and Kozlov is now the 17^th #NextGen winner overall. Kozlov rises 30 spots to a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 116.

American Teen Finalists In 2016

*Escobedo won first Challenger title less than a month after turning 20 in July, in Lexington (USA)

Sandgren’s best two Challenger results this year have come in Columbus, with the 25-year-old reaching the semi-finals at the $50,000 event here in September.

Astana Challenger Capital Cup (Astana, Kazakhstan): Top seed and #NextGen star Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan won his second Challenger title of 2016 in a marathon final over second seed Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3). The win also marks the first time two #NextGen stars have won Challenger tournaments in the same week. The 21-year-old Nishioka clinched his maiden Challenger title in July in Winnetka, Illinois. His win also ensures he will finish the year inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Andria E Castel Del Monte Challenger (Andria, Italy): Fourth seed Luca Vanni won back-to-back Challenger titles in Italy by defeating fellow Italian and wild card Matteo Berrettini, 5-7, 6-0, 6-3. Vanni also prevailed last week on home soil in Brescia.

Despite the loss, the week was a career breakthrough for Berrettini, who had never reached a Challenger quarter-final prior to this week. The 20-year-old Italian jumped from No. 680 to No. 433 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with his performance in Andria.

WHAT’S AHEAD

That’s a wrap for the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour season. The circuit will be on a five-week hiatus before resuming with events in Australia, Thailand and New Caledonia in January.

CROATIA 2, ARGENTINA 2
Arena Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Davis Cup Final 

Juan Martin del Potro completed a riveting comeback from two sets down to send the Davis Cup Final to a deciding rubber on Sunday.

Del Potro and Argentina silenced a partisan Arena Zagreb crowd with a 6-7(4), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 victory over World No. 6 Marin Cilic and host nation Croatia. The Argentine stalwart and Comeback Player of the Year in the 2016 ATP World Tour Awards Presented by Moët & Chandon, rallied from an 0-2 deficit for the first time in his career.

“It’s tough for me to speak, but I did my best and this is amazing,” said an emotional Del Potro, who overcame 34 aces to prevail after four hours and 53 minutes. He joins Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios and Cilic as the only players with at least six Top 10 wins this year.

Cilic struck first blood in Sunday’s fourth rubber, breaking to love in the second game and reeling off 12 of the first 14 points to surge ahead 3-0. Del Potro would later break back for 4-4, but his Croatian opponent was too strong in the eventual tie-break, taking it 7-4.

Cilic looked to be in cruise control after snatching the second set 6-2 and denying a pair of break chances early in the third with consecutive clutch aces. The shot of the match came in the opening game of the third set, when Del Potro struck an improbable baseline-to-baseline tweener lob. They would remain on serve until the 12th game, when Del Potro surged to a 0/40 lead. Cilic turned aside the first two set points, but a lunging backhand volley winner would give the Argentine the third.

Another clutch late break leveled the match at two sets apiece, as Del Potro grabbed the fourth 6-4 and he would overcome a quick break to open the decider, reeling off six of the last eight games to complete the improbable comeback. He sealed the win on his first match point when Cilic netted a backhand return, extending his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead to 9-2.

While it was the first two-set comeback in Del Potro’s career, it marked the third time Cilic had relinquished a two-set lead in 2016 alone. He had fallen to Jack Sock in Davis Cup play and to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Federico Delbonis will face Ivo Karlovic to decide the tie. It is the first live fifth rubber in the Davis Cup Final since 2012 and ’13, when Radek Stepanek won consecutive live fifth rubbers against Spain and Serbia, respectively.

Croatia is seeking their second Davis Cup title, having lifted the trophy in 2005, while four-time finalist Argentina is eyeing its first.

CROATIA 2, ARGENTINA 1
Arena Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Davis Cup Final

Croatia is one win from claiming their second Davis Cup crown after Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig provided the heroics in Saturday’s doubles rubber. In front of a sold out Arena Zagreb in the Croatian capital, Cilic and Dodig defeated Juan Martin del Potro and Leonardo Mayer 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-3 to put the host nation ahead 2-1 after Day 2 of competition.

Dodig, No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, led the charge in claiming his fifth straight Davis Cup doubles rubber since 2015. He has won three in a row this year with Cilic.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience and I have to thank the fans for creating a fantastic atmosphere,” Dodig said. “We will be rooting for Marin to finish the job tomorrow.” 

The Croatian duo prevailed after two hours and 42 minutes when a Mayer backhand return sailed long. They fired 33 total winners, including six aces, while taking 85 per cent of first serve points.

In Sunday’s reverse singles, Cilic and Del Potro will return to the court for a critical fourth rubber. The Argentine leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head 8-2, having claimed their previous five encounters, including a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 rout in the 2012 Davis Cup quarter-finals. This will be their first meeting in three years.

Croatia is eyeing its second Davis Cup trophy after emerging victorious in 2005. Argentina, a four-time finalist, is seeking to rally for its first title, having finished runners-up in 1981, 2006, 2008 and 2011.

CROATIA 1, ARGENTINA 1
Arena Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Davis Cup Final

Croatia, the 2005 champion, is level with four-time former finalist Argentina at 1-1 on Friday in the Davis Cup final at the Arena Zagreb. Argentina has previously defeated Croatia in quarter-final ties in 2002, 2006 and 2013.

Marin Cilic handed Croatia the early lead when he used his big-match experience to beat Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-2 in three hours and 30 minutes. Cilic, who improved to a 49-23 record on the season, won 77 per cent of his first service points and struck 17 aces. World No. 41 Delbonis, who had recovered from 0-2 sets deficit against Serbia’s Viktor Troicki in last year’s quarter-finals, hit 25 winners and is now 4-3 lifetime in singles rubbers.

“The crowd helped me to stay in there, it was not easy,” said Cilic, who is now 22-9 in singles rubbers. “Federico played a great tennis from the middle of the third set to the end of the fourth. Just at the beginning of the fifth, I tried mentally to stay in there and get that break, and it was a huge difference.” Cilic completed 2016 at a career-high year-end No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro levelled the scoreline when he defeated 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 over three hours and 18 minutes in the second rubber. World No. 20 Karlovic, the oldest player to feature in a singles rubber in a final tie for 96 years (43-year-old Australian Norman Brookes in 1920), won four straight points from a 4/6 deficit in the second set tie-break. He hit 35 aces, but also 12 double faults.

Del Potro, the Comeback Player of the Year in the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon, lost just eight of his first service points (68/76) and converted three of his seven break point opportunities. The World No. 38, now 31-12 on the season, will meet Cilic in the first reverse singles rubber on Sunday.

Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Franko Skugor are scheduled to compete against Argentineans Leonardo Mayer and Guido Pella in the doubles rubber on Saturday.