Argentina is a clay-court nation.
Argentine No. 1 Juan Martin del Potro reveals a simple reason why clay is his toughest surface—he's not into running.
Watch: Claypova vs. King of Clay
"I don't like to run too much," del Potro told the media in Rome provoking laughter. "And you must play long rallies here on clay. But, I mean, if you play aggressive on this surface also you can be dangerous. But, you need to be 100 percent physically, mentally, free of pains in your body.
"And I'm just trying to stay healthy in this part of the year, to improve my game and hold my body in the second part of the season."
The fifth-seeded del Potro faces a demanding Rome opener against either Indian Wells semifinalist Borna Coric or Barcelona finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.Del Potro has had clay success in the past, including a run to the 2009 Roland Garros semifinals.
Though del Potro grew up playing on red clay in a nation that has produced champions including Guillermo Vilas, Jose-Luis Clerc, Gabriela Sabatini, Guillermo Coria, Gaston Gaudio and David Nalbandian, to name a few, the US Open was always his favorite tournament.
The 2009 US Open champion also grew up looking up to former Wimbledon and US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt, but the primary reasons del Potro favors hard courts and grass courts is because the faster surfaces favor his massive flat strikes.
"Of course, it's very important for me, for my colleagues, for the other Argentinian players," del Potro said of clay-court tennis. "We grow up playing tennis on this surface. But, because of my style of game, I prefer to play on hard or grass courts.
"But anyways, these tournaments are so important for the season, for keep going up in the ranking as well. And I would like to do even better than Madrid. So, I will try to play better here in Rome."
Photo credit: Dan Huerlimann/Beelde Images