Down the line: The return of the del Potro Show

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Sport360°'s tennis expert Reem Abulleil offers her insightful opinion on the biggest talking points from the Tour. With the tennis year into the hard-court season and the US Open imminent, Reem looks at the role Juan Martin del Potro plays during this time of year.

    The US Open Series means different things to different people. To the casual tennis fan, it’s simply a bunch of tournaments that culminate in the one that matters the most – the US Open.

    The slightly more serious fans don’t pay attention to the 250 or 500 events but are hungry for some Masters action.

    They’ve had a break from the sport since Wimbledon and fast forwarded to the Rogers Cup and Cincinnati, where the draws are big, the ranking points are plenty and the prize money is juicy.

    These fans actually care if Novak Djokovic becomes the first-ever player to win all nine of the Masters 1000 events.

    Taking it up a notch, this is the time of the year where hardcore fans in America cross state lines to catch some live tennis while other fanatics living on this side of the Atlantic stay up to the wee hours of the morning to follow the entire series.

    To me personally, this part of the season has developed into what I like to call the Juan Martin del Potro Show, where the action is intense, the drama is enthralling and the cliff hangers are pure torture.

    This show started in 2008 when the tall, shy and lovable Argentine, with a forehand so big it sounded differently even through our TV screens, won LA and DC before falling in the US Open quarters in a four-set thriller to Andy Murray and ended the series with a 14-1 record.

    Season two of the show, taking place in 2009, saw a stronger del Potro win DC, make the final in Toronto before finishing with a bang, defeating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer back-to-back to win the US Open.

    No show on television could top that season finale. Del Potro left North America with a 15-1 record.

    If season two was a feel-good action sequence, season three was tragic drama. An injury followed by surgery followed by a lengthy recovery meant del Potro was off the court and would not return to defend his US Open title.

    Some fans stopped following the show, others got even more hooked as they waited for the moment their hero came back.

    The next season was a testing one. Del Potro was back on court in 2011 but his results were not the same. There were glimpses of his former self but the confidence was not there and his US Open Series ended with a third round four-set defeat to Gilles Simon and a 5-4 win-loss record.

    Last season was a big tease. Heading to the US after defeating Djokovic for Olympic bronze at Wimbledon, once again the expectations were high. But del Potro lost to Djokovic in the Cincinnati semis and US Open quarters and fans were once again left longing for a US Open repeat, albeit knowing that their main man was capable of coming up with the goods.

    This season the anticipation is back and del Potro sent out some scary signals with his form in DC. The forehand was as flat and monstrous as ever en route to his third straight title in the capital.

    Now we’re left with the familiar feeling of will he or won’t he? The Open is less than four weeks away and once again the Argentine has every chance of repeating history. Will he upset the current Djokovic-Murray party? Stay tuned for the next episode!

    Week ahead

    No Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Maria Sharapova but almost everyone else is in action in Canada. Martina Hingis continues to un-retire as she plays her second consecutive doubles event with Daniela Hantuchova.

    * For breaking news, follow us on @Sport_360 or find us on Facebook.

    Recommended