Twelve months ago Juan Martin del Potro had no idea of what to expect when he took to the court at Delray Beach following a lengthy injury absence. This time round, there is better clarity and more optimism surrounding the former US Open champion.
Del Potro’s last competitive match saw him send his country into hysteria after he battled back from two sets down to defeat Ivo Karlovic in a critical encounter during the Davis Cup final clash between Argentina and Croatia. The triumph concluded a memorable season for the Argentine, who lifted his first ATP title since 2014 and reached the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Currently ranked 36th in the world, Del Potro delayed his start to 2017 due to ‘insufficient recovery time.’ He will begin his new season this week at the Delray Beach Open, the venue where he started his comeback from wrist surgery last year.
“This preseason was different from the previous because I am healthy, I know almost 80% of my calendar for the year. I have done my best. I did new things, like yoga every morning. I feel in good shape for this tournament (Delray Beach). I hope I’m 100% all season.” Del Potro told the Spanish speaking branch of atpworldtour.com.
Still to formally hire a coach to take over from Franco Davin, who he parted ways with two years ago, the 28-year-old has enlisted the help of Daniel Orsanic for the upcoming tournament. Orsanic has become a national treasure in Argentine sport since guiding his country to their maiden Davis Cup title last year.
“Delray Beach is a good tournament to begin with. The atmosphere is amazing. There are great players and it’s a major stop before Indian Wells and Miami. Also, I have good memories of 2011 (when he won the title) and my return in 2016. I have a tough first-round rival, but we’ll see. I love playing here.” The world No.36 explained.
The first obstacle of 2017 for the former US Open champion will be Kevin Anderson, a player who has also suffered his own fair share of injury woes in recent months. It will be the first clash between the two since 2013 with Del Potro boasting a one-sided head-to-head lead of 5-0.
Unlike last year where he was testing the waters to see how his body holds holdup, Del Potro intends to be a threat to those at the top of the men’s game. Last year he scored a series of high profile wins over players such as Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov and Dominic Thiem.
“2017 is a great challenge because if I can play about 20 tournaments I could keep on rising. I would like to go up in the ranking and get as close as I can to Top players.” He said.
Regarded as one of the most popular athletes in the sport with a Twitter following of 2.76 million, Del Potro will be seeded seventh in his first tournament of 2017.
