Most Improved
Lanky, 6-foot-6-inch Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina began 2009 strong by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals of the French Open. He finished the year even stronger by collecting his first Grand Slam trophy at the US Open. He realized his dream by upsetting World No. 1 Roger Federer in a 5-set thriller.
“In the beginning of the match I was so nervous…I start to think the final, playing with Roger, the best player of the history, nothing to lose. And be two sets to one down, but I think, okay, you never lose until the last point, so keep fighting. The crowd helped me, and they saw my fight in every point,” Del Potro said.
The Argentine said that he relied on his forehand and serve against the Swiss. “He definitely strikes [his forehand] with great pace and good margin. Sometimes he hits crazy ones, too, but that's what happens when you go for it a lot,” Federer said. “He has a great technique at backhand. Rock solid…In the end he was the better man.”
Novak Djokovic has faced Del Potro three times. Regardless of a perfect winning record, the Serb respects Del Potro’s game.
“Del Potro is still a young guy but moving extremely well for his height and is an all around player, as well,” Djokovic said. “Very strong serve and great consistency from the groundstrokes.”
Aside from his powerful groundstrokes and improved serve, Del Potro’s biggest weapon is his confidence. “I never think about the past, you know. I just go my way and try to improve every day my game. But I'm in good shape. I'm physically feeling good with my tennis, too, so that's important…Of course I would like to be in top 4, top 3, or top 1 in the future.”
Note:
Juan Martin Del Potro is the first man to win a Grand Slam other than Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal since Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008.
