Croatia has always been a land of great waiters and the heirs of Goran Ivanisevic, Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic prove it in Tokyo. On Thursday, the best pair in the world, consisting of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic – in 2021 they have already won eight tournaments, including Wimbledon, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Rome -, qualified for the final by beating the US team Austin Krajicek-Tennys Sandgren (6-4, 6-4).
On Saturday, in the final, Mektic and Pavic will play against their compatriots Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig, who took out New Zealanders Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus (6-2, 6-2) in the semi-finals. The Croats will therefore bring back gold and silver from Japan, seventeen years after the bronze won in Athens by the Ljubicic-Ancic duo. This is the first time since the London Games in 1908 that two teams from the same country will face each other in the men’s doubles final.
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