Juan Martin Del Potro He built one of the most impressive careers in modern South American tennis. Champion of the 2009 US Open, double Olympic medalist, winner of 22 ATP titles, key player in the historic 2016 Davis Cup and finalist in the 2009 ATP Finals, the man from Tandil was the protagonist of an era dominated by legends.
However, there is one objective that was left out of his record and that he himself recognizes as his great pending score: having been number 1 in the world ranking.
Del Potro explained that, after winning a Grand Slam, the demands of the calendar multiply, not only from a sporting perspective but also from a commercial perspective. “When you win a Grand Slam, everything changes. Commitments appear with sponsors, with the ATP, with the brands. Many times you feel that you have to be there, because if you don’t go you also lose key points that later, months later, you regret,” he explained.
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The confession about the chance to reach the top of tennis
The turning point came in the 2018 season. After reaching the final of the US Open that year, Del Potro reached number 3 in the world. Physically exhausted, he also decided to travel to the Asian tour, with a clear goal in mind: to reach number 1 after the 2019 Australian Open.
“I envisioned being number 1 after the Australian Open. I had a real mathematical chance. If he did well on that tour, there was a possibility,” he confessed. It was not an illusion, but rather a concrete combination of results that could put him at the top of the ranking for the first time in his career.
The injury that cut Del Potro’s ground short
The plan collapsed abruptly. During that stage he suffered a fall that resulted in the fracture of his right knee. “Everything stops there. I fall, I break my knee, I have to stop and the nightmare begins,” he summarized. That injury marked the beginning of a long medical ordeal that never led to a definitive recovery.
In 2019 he attempted a gradual return. He returned to compete at Roland Garros and in a few other tournaments, showing glimpses of his usual hierarchy. However, the body took its toll again. In the run-up to Wimbledon, after beating Denis Shapovalov in the Queen’s tournament, the knee suffered again and put an end to any attempt at continuity.
