Juan Martin del Potro’s dream run at the US Open has come to an end after he lost 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, to two-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
Cheered on by the animated crowd in the Arthur Ashe stadium, the Argentine valiantly battled against the third seed before gradually fading away towards the end of the match as Wawrinka fired 53 winners to move closer to his first US Open final.
Fortunately for del Potro, his memory of the match will be the love that was shown to him by the crown. A game away from defeat, an outbreak of “Ole, ole, ole, Delpo, Delpo!” erupted in the crowd as tennis fans displayed how much the beloved player means to them. It was a moment in the match the brought the 27-year-old to tears after his numerous injury troubles which almost pushed him towards the brink of retirement in the past.
“I can lose the match, but I will never forget this. It’s bigger than win any match.” He said about the standing ovation he received.
“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 score.”
It was a magical moment to witness for a player that has gone through so much in their career. Even del Potro’s conqueror Wawrinka was taken back by the New York audience. Speaking after his win, the third seed gracefully praised his opponent.
“It was amazing crowd.” Wawrinka said. “There was a lot of support for Juan Martin. It’s normal. I expect that. He’s an amazing champion. He won here. He got so unlucky with all the injury he had, and the way he’s playing right now already, it’s amazing. Everybody is happy to see him back at that level.”
Reaching his first major quarter-final since the 2013 Wimbledon Championships in an encouraging sign for the Argentinian camp, but del Potro himself has admitted that he is still lagging behind his rivals when it comes to physicality.
“I think my tennis is starting to respond as I want, but physically I’m still down. You know, I’m not in the same level that these guys. I need to just to stay healthy and wait for the preseason to get 100% for next year.” He concluded about the current state of his game.
Del Potro will be shortly flying to Glasgow to participate in the Davis Cup semi-final between Argentina and Great Britain. As for Wawrinka, he faces a New York showdown with Kei Nishikori, who knocked out Andy Murray in his quarter-final match.
The moment the New York crowd brought del Potro to tears
