With the new tennis season only weeks away and the 2011 Australian Open right around the corner, Nike Tennis has been hard at work to find the perfect outfits for major tennis players sponsored by the brand. The first two instalments of this series paid
attention to the outfits designed for Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer; the third and last part will concentrate on Juan Martin Del Potro.
Although this young player has only one Grand Slam to his credit, he has already managed to make a name for himself as a hard-hitting legend. This is because he is the first and only player on the ATP tour who has managed to defeat World Number 1 Rafael
Nadal and World Number 2 Roger Federer back to back in the same tournament- at the 2009 US Open.
However, he is currently ranked World Number 259 due to an injury which forced him to take a long break from tennis for several months, in order to fully recuperate and come back with chances of winning more Slams.
Juan Martin Del Potro first received ATP World Top 10 ranking in 2008, and he reached his career high ranking of world number 4 in January 2010. He is currently the third-ranked player in his country, Argentina. However, he has so far had an illustrious
career. In 2008, he became the first player in the history of tennis to win his first four titles in four consecutive tournaments played. In addition to this, he also finished 2008 with the second longest winning streak, and the second longest to be made by
a teenager. His consecutive wins spanned 23 matches in five tournaments. The only player better than him in this regard is Rafael Nadal.
Del Potro captured his first Grand Slam title by defeating Roger Federer in the final, right after he beat Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. His US Open victory also made him the second Argentinean to win the title, as well as the fifth youngest player to
do so in the Open Era.
Juan Martin Del Potro is arguably the hardest hitter currently playing on the ATP Tour. He is reputed to have the most blistering forehand on the men’s side, and can hit the ball hard enough to send his opponents into despair. Both Federer and Nadal are
no strangers to that forehand, having suffered defeat from it. While he conquered those feats in the sleeveless shirts he has always been popular for, he will be reverting to sleeves when he competes at the 2011 Australian Open.
The hard-hitting player from Argentina will be wearing a classic t-shirt in blue, titled the “Showdown” shirt, paired with black woven shorts. The 2011 Australian Open, contested at Melbourne Park, will be Juan Martin Del Potro’s first Grand Slam attempt
since he lost to Marin Cilic at the same event almost a year ago.
The blue shirt, with a V neck style collar, is adorned with white trim along the front of the shirt and the shoulders. This pays homage to Argentina and its national colours. Like all the shirts designed by Nike Tennis, this too has been made with Dri-FIT
fabric to prevent sweating and to absorb moisture. In addition to the special fabric, the mesh panels of the sides of the shirt are also useful for comfort and ventilation. These panels can also be seen on the sides of the shorts to aid lightness and breathability.
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