Juan Martin Del Potro will kick off the next season at Sydney international – Tennis News
World number 11, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, will be taking off his 2012 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) season from Sydney, being a part of the Apia International Sydney event next month.
The ATP World Tour 250 event will be played on the hard courts of Sydney from 9th to 14th of January next year, with $372,500 prize money for the contestants. Although the tournament is World Tour 250-level
event, it holds prime significance in the preparation for the year’s first Grand Slam event, the Australian Open, which will be held later the same month.
Del Potro finished off his current year with an agonizing defeat in the Davis Cup Finals at the hands of Spain last week and is really eager to have an impactful beginning to the new season. The former US Open champion had a 48-18
winning record at the end of 2011 ATP season, with two championship titles to his name.
Argentina’s number one has been battling out with a career-threatening wrist injury for past few years but his current physical fitness and form has made him one of the players to bid on in the coming season. Del Potro has extended
his championship title count to nine this year and desires for plenty more next year.
His commitment to play at Sydney was warmly welcomed by the tournament director, Craig Watson, who rated the Argentine as the hot favourite for winning the tournament. Del Potro had an epic three-set battle with Spain’s Feliciano
Lopez in his opening round clash at this year’s Sydney International, with every set ending in a tie breaker round. The Argentine was surprisingly defeated in the second round at the hands of Florian Mayer of Germany in straight sets to finish his voyage at
the event but he certainly looks stronger and much focused this time round.
“He played one of the matches of the tournament in 2011 against Feliciano Lopez in the first round and I know he won a lot of new fans in Sydney with that gutsy performance,” Watson said in a statement talking about Del Potro.
“He is close to getting back to the form that took him to the US Open title in 2009, as well as wins over (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal.”
The 23-year-old Argentine will certainly desire to take off his next year’s campaign with a title victory at the Sydney International and get his vintage form back before going into the Australian Open.
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