Dark days are behind Del Potro as he aims for a US Open upset
DJOKOVIC WON’T HAVE THE LOVE OF THE CROWD IN THE FINAL
THE course of tennis history would have run much differently had Juan Martin del Potro not suffered a succession of horrendous wrist problems following his 2009 US Open triumph.
The big three or four, plus Stan Wawrinka, would not have had a virtual monopoly on Grand Slam titles because when Del Potro beat peak Roger Federer nine years ago the Argentine’s gifts were obvious.
Blessed with touch, power and feline movement for a big man, there is no way it would have taken him nine years to get back into the kind of major final which he will play tonight against Novak Djokovic.
So despondent did Del Potro become during a series of wrist operations that his mental health suffered and four years ago he believes he was one surgery away from walking out on the game.
‘The worst moment was in 2015 when I was close to quitting this sport because I couldn’t find a way to fix my wrist problems,’ he said after being ushered through his semi-final when Rafael Nadal was forced to retire.
‘I was suffering a lot. I got depressed for couple of months also, I didn’t get the chance to feel better. That was the bad moment for me.
‘But I think that is completely in the past, and now I’m having a good present, looking forward for the future. I didn’t expect to get these kind of emotions playing tennis again. I cannot believe that I will have a chance to play another Grand Slam final here. I’ve been fighting with many, many problems to get in this moment.’
Djokovic’s extraordinary resurgence this summer still makes him the more likely champion. Del Potro has had to refashion his game, employing a sliced backhand more regularly to protect his wrist, but he has had the application to make the changes work.
As he cautioned following Nadal’s second-set retirement with knee issues: ‘When I played Roger nine years ago, he was the favourite to win as well.’
The 31-year-old Serb may have 12 more Grand Slam titles than his opponent tonight but he will not enjoy the one thing he seems to crave: the love of the crowd.
With his endearing hangdog look, dry humour and battling backstory, Del Potro is effortlessly popular wherever he goes. At this particular event he has brought a noisy group of friends from his hometown, Tandil, who have supported him through the dark moments.
Djokovic tries so hard to be loved without the same success, and the backing that the Argentinian is likely to get tonight from the 24,000-strong assembly on Arthur Ashe Stadium could be a factor, as we know the Serb does not always react well to any hostility.
The Wimbledon champion can point to his own dramatic turnaround, albeit over a shorter timespan.
Having begun the summer in existentialist disarray he is close to his fearsome best and one factor appears to have been particularly key: the rehiring of his old coach Marian Vajda.
The low-key Vajda has taken him back to basics. Djokovic’s spiritual guru-cum-coach Pepe Imaz has faded into the background after becoming a prominent figure during the period of de-motivation and injury that followed him winning the French Open in 2016.
Regardless of who wins tonight, it will leave men’s tennis with a remarkable statistic: on September 23, when Del Potro turns 30, there will be no active male player under that age who is the owner of a Grand Slam singles title.