A year ago, Juan Martin Del Potro was ranked outside the top 500 of men’s tennis and wondering if he would ever play again as he struggled with injury.
Yesterday, the Argentine beat American No. 1 Jack Sock, 7-5, 6-1 at the Stockholm Open to clinch his first title in 33 months and cap a remarkable comeback season from serious injury.
“I’ve been trying to fix my problems for the past two years and I didn’t expect to win a title at this moment in my career,” Del Potro said after his 19th tournament title. “I am so happy to get the trophy here. It’s motivation for looking forward to the future.
“I don’t really mind the rankings or the numbers,” said Del Potro, who jumped 21 spots to No. 42 in the rankings on Monday. “I just want to play better. When I’m 100% I know I can be dangerous.”
US Open
Known for his blistering ground-strokes, the six-foot-six (1.98 meters) tall Argentine caused a sensation at the 2009 US Open when he beat Roger Federer for the title. He also won a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012 and was a fixture in the top 10 until a recurring wrist injury kept him off the Tour for the most part of 2014 and 2015.
Having come close to retirement after three surgeries in two years, Del Potro returned to the ATP World Tour in February. Although the wrist played up again during the clay-court season — forcing him out of Rome and Roland Garros — his comeback really took off this summer.
At the Rio Olympics in August, the then 141st-ranked Del Potro reduced top-ranked Novak Djokovic to tears with a shock defeat of the Serb in the first round. After winning a silver medal in Rio, Del Potro reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, where he lost to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka.
Strong serve
Sock was impressed with Del Potro’s late-career renaissance. The 28-year-old from Tandil didn’t drop a set and only got broken twice all week in Sweden.
“It was a tough match,” said Sock, who never managed to get a break point. “His serve is massive and very tough to read, which put more pressure on my serve. He just played well today. I’ve had a long week here and it might have caught up with me a bit.”