HIGH TENSION
del Potro a main contributor to Federer’s Open drought
Alert the Swiss authorities, Juan Martin del Potro is back in New York.
Though Rafael Nadal is Federer’s bitter rival, the 6-foot-6 del Potro is Federer’s Flushing slayer.
Despite a late-career renaissance at age 37, the Swiss Maestro has gone 10 years without winning the U.S. Open. Blame del Potro.
The Argentinian was named to the World Team on Tuesday at a Manhattan press conference to promote late-September’s Laver Cup, which pits Europe vs. the rest of the globe.
The 50th U.S. Open commences Monday with del Potro as the third seed and a danger in Queens now that he’s over his longtime wrist issues. Federer is seeded second, so they could meet in the semifinals pending Thursday’s draw. (Defending champion Nadal is the No. 1 seed.)
Del Potro started Federer’s Flushing drought by edging him in a classic five-setter in 2009. Last year, del Potro wrecked the potential Nadal-Federer showdown by eliminating Federer in a four-set quarterfinal. (Incredibly, Nadal and Federer have never faced off in Flushing.) To top it off, del Potro trounced Federer in The Finals at Indian Wells in March.
“Yeah, I did [spoil the party], but for me, it’s very special when I play Roger at the U.S. Open because this tournament is my favorite one, and Roger is a legend and everyone wants to play against him,’’ del Potro told The Post. “In New York, I got lucky because I beat him a couple of times here. It makes this place so special for me.
“Of course [2009] is one of the biggest memories of my career. It was my best tournament ever in New York. I will never forget that title.”
Though 7-18 lifetime against Federer, del Potro is 6-7 in matches that go the distance.
“I like to play finals against him,’’ del Potro said, “because I have nothing to lose.’’
As much as Rod Laver, in Manhattan to announce the lineups for the Laver Cup, adores Federer, he isn’t imagining the Open drought ending this fortnight.
“[Del Potro] certainly has the style — big serve, big forehand, returns serve well,’’ Laver said. “That’s a criteria with a chance to win against Roger, and sometimes Roger just doesn’t play well against someone like del Potro. Del Potro is a helluva tennis player. At 37, Roger has a lot of work to do. Returning that serve is not easy.” Laver projects Novak Djokovic and Nadal as Open favorites and sets the darkhorse as rising South African Kevin Anderson, the fifth seed who stormed to the Open finals last year in a depleted field and showed it was no fluke by advancing to the Wimbledon finals in July, losing to Djokovic. Laver said he thought Federer looked his age last week in Cincinnati, where he lost in the final to Djokovic in the final Open tune-up, and will need a sweet draw to win his sixth Open and record 21st grand slam title. “This is a tougher tournament,’’ Laver said of the Open. “Sometimes going into five sets on hard courts. When you do that seven times? If he’s fortunate and can get some players he can beat in three, if he’s got three of those in his category, then he’s a different player. “That’s being 37. Yes he’s fit. But you saw what happened in Cincinnati. The [rainy] weather knocked him out. He had to play two matches [Saturday]. You can tell Novak was the better player on the day but mainly because Roger just couldn’t keep up. He was forcing everything.’’ It doesn’t seem that long ago Federer reeled off a record five straight Opens, from 2004-08. “I think it will be a very exciting end to the season, because everybody’s going to probably be healthy again,’’ Federer said Sunday. “It’s nice to see Novak has come back, and Milos [Raonic] has been playing great tennis again. Stan [Wawrinka] seems solid again. ... So that’s going to be fun. “