How Juan Martin del Potro Has Become a Grand Slam Title Threat Again

Juan Martin del Potro’s reawakening is shifting men’s tennis. He captured the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medal for men’s singles, and he was the guiding hero to lead Argentina to its first Davis Cup title. He’s the ATP's Comeback Player of the Year with six top-10 wins, and suddenly, he's a Grand Slam threat for 2017.

Del Potro is quietly imposing. His large stature is decorated with simple clothing colors—white, light blue or more conservative solid shirts. He still sports a Nike headband above his kind, dark eyes and chiseled face. Big hands and muscular forehands deliver big-time power with a tennis racket, but he executes with easy footwork and skill and with scarcely a hint of panic.

He’s the gunslinger who can ride into town, clean things up, win a duel and disappear before the sun goes down. But can he stay healthy? Therein lies the rub.

Del Potro was the rising prospect who outgunned Roger Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open final with breathtaking, powerful groundstrokes. Then the wrist injuries cropped up, and he roamed the perimeters of greatness, appearing for significant bursts but rarely gaining the health needed for a serious run at Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Meanwhile, the giant Argentine has saddled up his confidence and returned from his latest career-threatening wrist surgery. He outlawed retirement talks, stared down and defeated the best players in tennis since early summer. Del Potro, more than any player outside the Fabled Four, is poised to ride into 2017 to conquer the increasingly open landscape of the wild, wild ATP tour.

The Joy of Playing Tennis

It was the 2016 U.S. Open quarterfinals and Del Potro had finally been worn down by Wawrinka, one of the few players who can trade baseline blasts with him. (Ironically, Wawrinka was the big-match veteran that Del Potro could have been, and he would seal his third major title a few days later.)

The tough New York crowd had nothing but cheers for Del Potro at match end, even if they had only sensed the road back to contend like his former self. He walked off with a wave and the emotions of an older player who understood just how fortunate he was to be playing at a world-class level after nearly losing his life’s work.

“Well, something difficult to describe with words,” Del Potro said about his emotions during the last game of the match, per Kelyn Soong in the Washington Post. “I mean, I can lose the match, but I will never forget this. You know, it’s bigger than win any match. I’m so proud to get that from the crowd, because I have been doing a big effort to play tennis again. They made me so happy tonight, and I don’t mind the ( four-set loss) score.”

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It’s a strong factor for why Del Potro is on a roll. There’s no question that he prepares to win each match, but he’s been playing with house money with wins over Dominic Thiem (Madrid and U.S. Open), Wawrinka (at Wimbledon), Djokovic and Nadal (Olympics), Murray (Davis Cup semifinal)and Marin Cilic (Davis Cup final).

His foundation is complete. He’s serving as well as ever, his flat in-and-out forehand is a weapon and even his defensive, slice backhand has been more solid. Best of all, there have not been reports of the dreaded wrist pain. He’s playing full out on every point.

It all sets up for his re-emergence on a tour that has seen Federer and Nadal miss large chunks of time with injuries and Djokovic struggle through burnout and hard times. Opportunity is ripe for more players to step up and win big titles.

Even the trending growth of young players who play bolder, risk-reward tennis only serves the greater experience and patience of the 28-year-old Del Potro. There’s nobody else on tour who can match Wawrinka’s power, test Murray’s defensive attrition and bother Djokovic’s all-court talents. More precisely, Del Potro does not fear them.

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Ready to Roll Down Under

For now, Del Potro must continue to fight his way up the ATP rankings. He’s No. 38 in the world, which means that he will be unseeded at the Australian Open in late January, even with a tune-up tournament in Auckland (too late for the points to help seeding consideration at Melbourne). He could be fighting some of the biggest stars in week one, and he certainly would rather not deal with the extreme heat that melted him in the second round in 2014.

Of course, nobody in the draw will feel happy about drawing Del Potro’s name. His legs will be fresh, and he’s got that special look of a champion once again. All he needs is his best tennis, and it’s not unreasonable to make him a 10-1 shot to win the Australian Open.

The big picture is even more promising. His game translates well to all surfaces, and he will be able to pick up massive points at venues like Indian Wells and Miami, where he was just beginning his comeback last year. He’s a proven winner on clay (2009 French Open semifinalist) and grass (2013 Wimbledon semifinalist).

Above all, he’s a fierce competitor against the other top stars. He’s split his last six matches with Murray, taken two of five from Djokovic (with grueling matches that usually went the distance) and four of five from Wawrinka.

And it’s not just Del Potro’s fearsome forehand that scares the tour; he’s also been increasingly resilient. He tortured Murray for four hours in the Olympics final, and he rallied from two sets down to win for the first time in his career in the nearly five-hour Davis Cup classic. He can pound his opponents into submission.

All of which make Del Potro the most deadly gunslinger of them all. He has the big guns, the coolness and the fortitude to win a major title in 2017. Who knows, he could shoot up the rankings and challenge for No. 1.

If only he can stay healthy for the foreseeable future, he’s one of the few stars who can win the biggest duels in tennis.