It’s been a long road back for Juan Martin del Potro since his wrist injuries plagued him. After taking almost eleven months off--including the 2016 Australian Open--it appears the Argentine has finally gotten back into shape. He recently won a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics and, after his straight-set defeat of David Ferrer in the third round of the U.S. Open, is into the round of 16 of a major for the first time in years. In his post-match interview on Saturday, the world number 142 was visibly excited to be back in form and back to his winning ways.
Del Potro as surprised as anyone by his play
When asked whether or not he expected to be back to playing at such a high level so quickly, del Potro did not mince words saying, “No, no, of course not. I didn't expect to be in the second week of this tournament. I didn't expect to [get] a medal in Rio. I didn't expect to play at this level in this part of the year.”
“Of course, I just want to be free with my wrist, trying to play [at] a good level as I did couple of years ago. But I think I'm surprised with my level at the moment. I'm surprising the guys on tour, my colleagues.”
“That's great because I'm seeing I can be dangerous in the future once again.”
Later in the press conference, del Potro was asked how he accomplished all that he has in recent months. His answer revolved around persistence and trust: “Working hard. I never give up. I trust on myself. I trust on my doctors, my team, my physical trainers.”
“I know how hard should I work to be in this moment now,” del Potro continued. “That's it. Nothing magic, nothing strange. Just work hard.”
Del Potro remains humble in success
While confidence spewed from del Potro’s aura, he remained humble saying, “For me, it’s enough just [playing] tennis again.”
The 27-year-old’s next match will be against rising star Dominic Thiem in the fourth round. Despite the discrepancy in ranking, one reporter suggested that del Potro--who is 132 spots behind his upcoming adversary--is the favorite to win the match. That Argentine quickly dispelled that idea. “No. No, he could be the favorite, for sure,” he assured. “But all depends on my physically, on my body, on my game. If I play like this today, I will maybe have [a] chance to do a great match against him.”
“But he's playing really well. He's very dangerous. His backhand is so good. His movements are really fast. [It] will be [an] interesting match for me.”