Juan Martin del Potro – a year on from the US Open title
In September last year, Juan Martin del Potro was being hailed as the hottest property in tennis.
The then 20-year-old had succeeded in achieving what no player had managed in the five previous years and defeated Roger Federer at the US Open.
A quartet of Grand Slam champions in Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic couldn’t manage it in the final from 2005 top 2007, and Andy Murray fell at the final hurdle in 2008. But in 2009, this 6ft 6in Argentinian ended Federer’s five-year title streak at Flushing Meadows with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-7(4), 2-6 victory in the final.
A victory that came the match after Del Potro had dispatched an admittedly injured Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the semis.
It was the victory that should have marked the beginning of Del Potro’s challenge to the established order, but any plans the world No. 10 had of beginning his own era of domination have been firmly put on hold in 2010 as he’s battled a wrist injury that has so far seen him limited to just one tournament this year.
That was the Australian Open, where Marin Cilic dished up a fourth-round defeat to Del Potro, who was troubled by wrist problems as he warmed up for Melbourne Park at the exhibition Kooyong Classic during January.
The big-hitting baseliner hasn’t been sighted in competitive action since as he at first sought to avoid surgery on his troublesome right wrist before finally going under the knife to fix the problem during May.
It’s been a long road back for Del Potro since then, and in the circumstances few would have been surprised when it was announced over the weekend that the 2009 US Open champion wouldn’t be returning to Flushing Meadows to defend his title this year.
“I feel extremely sad to announce that I will not to be able to defend my US Open title," Del Potro said in a statement.
"Winning in New York last year has been my major accomplishment in tennis and my best memory so far. I am so sorry for my fans, my sponsors and all the people that care about me, but I have only started practicing in the last two weeks and unfortunately I cannot compete at the top level yet.”
One suspects that even when Del Potro does return, and he’s scheduled to do so at the Thailand Open in September, the remainder of the season will be about finding form ahead of 2011, when he can re-launch his challenge on what must still be regarded as the Federer and Nadal dominance at the majors.
At 21, time is on Del Potro’s side, even if the 12 months since he engraved his name as a Grand Slam Champion couldn’t have deviated any further from the plan.
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