Between the emphatic resurgence of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray’s fairytale run at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic’s consistency, and the decline of Roger Federer, it has been hard for any other player to gain some steady attention.  There is at least one player, however, that deserves to be more than just a mere blip on the tennis radar.  His name is Juan Martin Del Potro, and he is starting to gain the type of momentum that could lead to him shaking things up at the pinnacle of the sport.   

It is no secret that Del Potro has the tools and the talent to reach the top.  Over the last eight years, the Argentine remains the only player outside of the Big Four (Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Federer) to have won a major, securing the 2009 US Open title after consecutive victories over Nadal and Federer.  Furthermore, he is currently ranked No. 5 and once reached No. 4, so it is easy to understand why he has enjoyed so much success thus far in his career.  Del Potro moves exceptionally well for a player of his height, continues to add variety to his arsenal, and owns what many argue is the biggest forehand in the game. 

Another factor that has contributed to Del Potro’s success is that he has shown himself capable of stepping up and utilizing his gifts against elite opponents, not just those whom he is supposed to beat.  He has earned a number of wins against the Big Four, including one win each against Nadal, Djokovic and Murray in 2013.  In fact, overall, he has had a relatively solid 2013 season that has included titles in Rotterdam, Washington DC, and Tokyo, finalist appearances at the Masters events in Indian Wells and Shanghai, and a spectacular five-set semifinal against Djokovic at Wimbledon that is a strong candidate for one of the top five matches of the year.

Del Potro appears to be moving ever closer to recapturing the form that saw him win the 2009 US Open, and there is a real sense that he is gathering steam to do something special this autumn.  The Tower of Tandil has historically performed well during this portion of the season, and 2013 has been no exception.  After a disappointing second-round exit to Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open, Del Potro has rebounded admirably.  As previously noted, he won the event in Tokyo just a few weeks ago and backed it up with a finalist showing in Shanghai.  What made his run in Shanghai all the more impressive was the way he routinely dismissed Nadal in straight sets in the semifinals before bowing out to Djokovic in the final, a match that was decided by a third set tiebreak.  He could not have come into Basel this week, where he is the defending champion, on a more emphatic note.

The question that remains is whether or not Del Potro can maintain and build upon the momentum he has been gaining throughout the course of this year.  The one element that has separated Del Potro from the Big Four has been consistency.  He can put together the most brilliant of runs and compete with the game’s elite, only to throw in a mediocre performance and flame out, as he did at this year’s US Open.  Granted, some of his lack of consistency has been due to injuries, including the niggling wrist injury that has often hampered his efforts to launch his game into full flight.  But some of his consistency issues can also be chalked up to mental lapses.  At the age of 25, Del Potro is fast-approaching a point in his career where he cannot allow those lulls to cost him matches as frequently as they currently do. It is time for Del Potro to determine whether or not he is going to reach his full potential or settle for flashes of brilliance, as another power-hitter in Marat Safin did before him.

What Del Potro accomplishes in the remaining weeks of the 2013 season could prove crucial to answering which path his career arc will follow, no week will be bigger for the Argentine than the ATP Would Tour Finals event in London.  Del Potro became the fifth player to qualify for the season-ending championships, where he will be making his fourth appearance.  He is a mediocre 6-6 at the prestigious tournament, although he did reach the final in 2009 and semifinals in 2012.  Nobody would consider it a disaster if he fails to win the title there, as he is hardly the favorite to do so with both Nadal and Djokovic slated to compete there as well.  But, with Federer’s current form and Murray’s guaranteed absence, Del Potro should at least maneuver himself past the round-robin stage into the weekend.  A solid run in London, especially a finals appearance or title, would cement his place as one of the key players to watch going into next year.

Time will tell how Juan Martin Del Potro takes care of business in the remainder of 2013 and what that will ultimately mean for his professional career.  The only certainty is that he has made the most of this fall and could make even more of it if his surge continues.