Gentle giant Delpo dwarfs Federer
Juan Martin Del Potro, once one of tennis’ hottest young talents before his career was derailed by injuries, won the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday two years after almost quitting in frustration.
“I couldn’t imagine this moment. I mean, everybody knows I was really close to quitting tennis before my third surgery on my left wrist,” said Del Potro after upsetting world No. 1 Roger Federer 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/2) in Sunday’s championship match.
“I made a big effort to come back. I have everything what I want, and I want to keep improving my game to see what can I do.
“I had very bad moments a few years ago and I don’t want to think about that anymore. I am just enjoying my life and playing around the world. I am exited to see what is next.”
World number eight Del Potro is back in the top ten rankings this season for the first time since 2014. He dropped to No. 1,045 before beginning his comeback from the left wrist surgeries in 2016.
The 29-year-old from Argentina says he is not thinking about his ranking and just wants to keep up the pace as long as he can.
“Well, it’s so big. I cannot believe I won this tournament, beating Roger in a great final and level of tennis,” he said of his first win in an Indian Wells final and second straight ATP title in a row.
“I don’t care about the numbers. I just want to keep winning titles like this if I can.
“But the first thing is try to be healthy during the whole year and play where I like to play. Now I have to do a smart schedule on clay to feel 100 percent for the rest of the season.”
Del Potro also won the title earlier this month in Acapulco, where he beat three top eight players in a row to clinch his 21st singles crown. Federer blasted 10 aces but had five double faults and his serve was broken twice.
He said it is going to take a little longer than normal to get over this one. “It should sting,” Federer said. “The question is how long? It is disappointing talking about a great match like this and losing.
“You move on. There’s no time to dwell over it. I see the positives at the end of the day.”
Federer survived a match point in the second set tiebreaker to force the third. “It was a lot of chances at either end,” he said. “He should have maybe closed it first in the second set I believe. Even early in the second set I think he had break point chances.
“But I was able to find my game and get out of that game.”
Del Potro won the first five points of the deciding tie-breaker then closed it out when Swiss superstar Federer, who had won a career-best 17 straight matches to start the year, smacked a forehand long. It was an emotional match for both players as each took turns questioning the chair umpire. Del Potro urged him to stop the pro-Federer crowd from making noise on his serve and an irritated Federer also had a couple of lively conversations with the umpire.
“I don’t remember half of it,” said Federer. “I was trying to pump myself up more, get energy for me. It had no effect on the outcome.”
With Federer on top 6-5 in the second set tie break, he appeared to fire an ace to clinch the set, but a late challenge by Del Potro overturned the call and the Swiss was double faulted. An annoyed Federer barked at the umpire during a changeover and, fired up by his grievance, took the second set to even up the contest before pushing Del Potro to the limits in the final stanza.
The third set went with serve until Federer blasted a cross-court winner to break Del Potro’s serve and take a 5-4 advantage — breaking a run of 32 consecutive service game wins for the Argentine.
The Swiss maestro served for the set, and the title, but del Potro dug deep to save three match points, two at 40-15 down, before breaking back to send the stanza to a tiebreak, which the Argentine dominated. “I lost my serve a little bit, and then he was clean and I wasn’t. And then it goes very quickly in the breaker,” Federer said. — AFP/Reuters