Del Potro beats Murray in five-set Davis Cup epic

The last meeting between the two had seen Murray emerge victorious in a five-set thriller in the Olympic final, so plenty was expected from the opening rubber of this fascinatingly poised tie.

But few could have predicted such an astonishing match – officially the longest of Murray’s stellar career.

Supremely talented but blighted by a string of injuries, Del Potro’s career has never reached the heights it could have done.

But fit and firing at last, the giant Argentine has made a big impression on the game this summer.

And he produced some of his best tennis in front of a partisan crowd at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena… starting with a hard-fought first set that he won 6-4.

Murray rallied and pulled into a 2-1 lead as the match ticked past three hours. But the Scot, who looked increasingly weary as the exhausting encounter progressed, struggled to match Del Potro’s phenomenal ground strokes in the final two sets and finally succumbed after over five hours of nail-biting tennis.

"I won but I still remember Olympic final. This is very important to me and my team and we are looking to reach another final in the Davis Cup," Del Potro said courtside.

"Against Andy you never know when the match will finish. He is a dangerous player, a fighter and great champion. In end I played good forehands and good serves and that was key.

"I am so happy to be playing tennis again after three surgeries. This kind of moment was what I was missing..."