Resurgent Del Potro returns to the top
An emotional Juan Martin del Potro could barely believe he had finally won a Masters 1000 series title at the 51st attempt at Indian Wells on Sunday, but is determined to keep the trophies coming in his late career renaissance.
The tall Argentine with a rocket of a forehand has endured years of injury-induced heartbreak but on Sunday was back at the very top of the game, beating no less than Roger Federer 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(2) in an enthralling Indian Wells final.
“It’s so big,” Del Potro said. “I cannot believe I won this tournament, beating Roger in a great final and level of tennis.
“I’m No. 6 in the world, I think? Which is so good to me. And I’m excited to keep working... I just want to keep winning titles.”
Del Potro was tipped as a future world No. 1 in 2009 after the then 20-year-old reached the French Open semifinals, the Australian Open quarterfinals before capturing his maiden Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.
He failed to break the dominance of Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the years following, though, and a string of career-threatening wrist injuries hampered his game and almost forced him to give up on tennis.
“I was close to quitting tennis because I had three surgeries on my wrist and I couldn’t fix the problem,” the 29-year-old recalled earlier this week at the BNP Paribas Open. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO handed world No. 1 Roger Federer (not pictured) his first defeat of 2018 in Sunday’s final at Indian Wells to claim the title.
“I got depressed at home for a long while, and I wasn’t happy doing the effort to recover my wrist. That’s what I was thinking about, quitting tennis.
“But thank God I’m here and healthy, and I’m playing tennis again. I’m doing this because I love it.”
The Argentine has regained form over the last two seasons, but although he entered Sunday’s final on a 10-match winning streak, he was still inevitably playing underdog to Swiss world No. 1 Federer.
Never short of fighting spirit even when his joints were unable to back it up, del Potro saved three match points and blew one of his own on the way to a victory that snapped Federer’s 17-match winning streak this year.
“It was an unbelievable match in all ways. We played a great level of tennis. The people were excited on every single point,” said Del Potro.”
Del Potro, who had already won his first title of the season at Acapulco earlier in March, will be looking for the 23rd of his career at next week’s Miami Open.
Triumphant Osaka draws Serena
Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka will have little time to celebrate in her first career victory with the Japanese drawing eighttime champion Serena Williams in the first round of next week’s Miami Open.
Osaka scored a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory over Russian Daria Kasatkina in a battle of 20-year-olds at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Sunday.
“I was extremely stressed and extremely nervous, but my plan was to fake that I’m very calm,” Osaka told reporters.
“I just knew that she was going to fight for every point, too, so I couldn’t afford to lose points based on nerves, and I had to keep making the right decisions.”
Osaka had defeated former Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, fifth seed Karolina Pliskova and then world No. 1 Simona Halep on her way to the title and the $1,340,860 first place money.
Williams lost to sister Venus at Indian Wells in the third match of her return after having a child and is likely to face Osaka for the first time on Wednesday, the third day’s play in the women’s draw in Miami. (Reuters)