Del Potro: Career-Changing Moment

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Del Potro: Career-Changing Moment

INDIAN WELLS—Olympic fire fueled Juan Martin del Potro’s successful comeback.

Del Potro said his inspired run to the 2016 Olympic gold-medal match infused him with the confidence propelling his comeback.

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In January del Potro, who missed 13 months after his third wrist surgery, returned to Top 10 for first time since August 4th, 2014.

It's a long way from his struggles in the early stages of his 2016 comeback.

“Well, during the first month of 2016, I was playing with my protection ranking, and I was losing very early in every tournament, and I couldn't hit my backhands,” del Potro said. “That moment was horrible for me, because I don't want to feel bad on court as I did in that time.”

Staggering into the 2016 Rio Olympics ranked No. 141, del Potro caught fire shocking world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and then fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal to reach the gold-medal match where he battled Andy Murray in a four-hour thriller before the Scot prevailed, successfully defending his gold medal.

That spirited silver-medal run charged his comeback.

“And I got lucky to play the Olympics game, because after that I start to play much better,” del Potro told the media in Indian Wells. “I starting to get confidence from myself, from the crowd, from the people, and everybody give me a lot of energy to keep trying. Right after the Olympics game, my mind changed a lot. My game change also. I think I start to feel as I been few years ago.”

While some opponents and analysts assert del Potro has more variety of his game now, the 2009 US Open champion would not trade his pre-surgery game for post-surgery Delpo.

“Of course no. Because with my old game, I won the US Open,” Del Potro said. “I was No. 4 in the world. But with this way of play, I win—I won different things and important things too. And I think is the only way, if I want to keep playing tennis. And I deal with that every day and accept the conditions of my wrist or my body. And after that, I start every day to train or to play a match.”

Del Potro will play 31st-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber for a spot in the Indian Wells final four.

Photo credit: Dan Huerlimann/Beelde Images

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