The last time India faced Croatia in the Davis Cup, Prajnesh Gunneswaran was five years old while Ramkumar Ramanathan was a month shy of his first birthday.
It was way back in 1995 when the two countries collided in the World Group Qualifying Round in their only meeting in the competition till date. Croatia were clear favourites to win the tie as they had the services of then two-time Wimbledon finalist Goran Ivanisevic.
India had a relatively inexperienced side spearheaded by Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi who were still trying to find their feet on the ATP Tour. Going into the tie, Paes was ranked 123 in singles and 70 in doubles while Bhupathi was ranked 274 and 155.
Advantage Ivanisevic
Despite the tie being held in India, it was advantage Croatia as the hosts chose to play on grass which was Ivanisevic's favourite surface. Ranked number seven and having ended in the top 10 of the ATP rankings for three consecutive years, the 6'4" giant was expected to win both his singles matches without much trouble.
Giant-killer
Despite his low ranking, Paes was a dangerous customer when he represented India on the global stage. Having made his Davis Cup debut in 1990, he went on to register many memorable wins for the country, most notably helping India reach the World Group semifinal in 1993. He singlehandedly took the team over the finish line in France 3-2 by clinching both his singles as well as his doubles match.
This was followed by a thrilling 3-2 victory over South Africa in Jaipur in 1994 where he once again won all three matches he featured in. This ensured the team's entry into the second round of the World Group qualifiers. By 1995, Paes had earned the reputation of a giant-killer in the Davis Cup.
Passionate Indian crowd
The stage was all set for one of the most historic Davis Cup clashes involving India at the National Sports Club in New Delhi. Up against Sasa Hirszon in the opening encounter, a pumped-up Paes dispatched the Croatian in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Indian fans did not have much time to rejoice as Ivanisevic put up a complete masterclass to decimate Bhupathi 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. With the tie levelled at 1-1, all eyes were on the crucial doubles encounter. Despite Ivanisevic being a top singles player, his doubles ranking was higher (world number 64) than both Paes and Bhupathi.
Hirszon and Ivanisevic won the first set 6-4 while Paes and Bhupathi bounced back to take the next two sets. The fourth was a see-saw battle in which both teams slugged it out against each other, refusing to lose. Eventually, it went into a tie-breaker which was won by the Indian duo to seal the nail-biter 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6.
The epic Paes vs Ivanisevic clash: David vs Goliath
If there was someone in the stadium who believed that Paes could beat Ivanisevic, it was Paes himself. The crowd was completely behind the 22-year-old who stuck to the serve and volley technique which had worked wonders against Hirszon.
The first set went to a tie-breaker which was won by Ivanisevic. The second set was another Ivanisevic show, with the Croatian taking it 6-4. At this point, the crowd went silent as Paes had to pull off a miracle to win the match.
The third set entered a tie-breaker and much to the delight of the crowd, Paes went on to clinch it. Ivanisevic's rhythm was completely broken and the noisy fans at the jam-packed National Sports Club made it worse for him.
Paes snatched the fourth set too before completely destroying Ivanisevic in the fifth. The crowd erupted in joy as Paes scripted a stunning upset to win 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Though Bhupathi lost the dead rubber to Hirszon 6-7, 6-3, 4-6, it did not matter as India clinched the tie 3-2. Paes proved to be the man of the hour for India once again, single-handedly sending another top tier team packing.
25 years later, Paes is last man standing
Almost 25 years have gone by since that historic triumph. The players who were part of that tie have all long retired except for Paes who will step on the court alongside Rohan Bopanna most probably for the last time in the Davis Cup.
Since the 1995 tie against Croatia, Paes has gone on to win an Olympic bronze medal in singles, clinch 18 Grand Slams (eight in men's doubles and 10 in mixed doubles) and reach the pinnacle of the doubles game by achieving the number one ranking.
Ivanisevic finally went on to win Wimbledon in 2001 and is currently coaching world number one Novak Djokovic.
Ivanisevic will be watching old rival
Ivanisevic, who was scheduled to travel with Djokovic to Palm Springs to prepare for the North American season, had promised Paes that he would stay back in Zagreb to witness the India vs Croatia tie. During a recent interaction, Paes said, "You win some matches, you lose some matches, you win some titles and you lose some, but the relationship we share are the biggest trophies."
Will Paes once again help India clinch the tie against Croatia? Will he extend his Davis Cup doubles record? Win or lose, Paes is ready for one last showdown before going into the sunset.