Juan Martin del Potro to return to action at Argentina Open: Time to get excited about former US Open champion?

Juan Martin del Potro, it’s been a while.

Around 960 days in fact.

It was at Queen’s Club in June 2019 when former world No 3 and 2009 US Champion Del Potro last played a competitive match of tennis. There have since been four knee surgeries, and strong doubts over whether he would ever return to the tour.

Now ranked No 757 in the world, Del Potro is set to make his long-awaited comeback at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires on February 7. He will then play in Rio de Janeiro the following week.

It will be an emotional return for Del Potro as he plays in Buenos Aires for the first time since 2006, when he was 17. Much has happened since then.

There have been ups – the stunning US Open win in 2009 or the run to the final in New York in 2018 or the silver medal in Rio in 2016 – and there have been downs, wrist and knee surgeries that have blighted and disrupted such a promising career.

At 33 there is still time for Del Potro to have another run, but his body may again say otherwise.

Which is why if he does return in Argentina next week it will be a moment to savour.

Del Potro’s game is a joy to watch; the forehand being the main attraction. There’s the huge, high wind-up, then the flat driving of the ball through the court with severe purpose. It’s a shot that has been likened to the ‘Hammer of Thor’ for its destructiveness.

The big serve is a weapon too. The backhand not so much, having weakened after wrist surgeries and now needing to be hidden and ran around more than at the start of his career.

Del Potro’s hard-hitting game made him a tough opponent for some for the very best players and he has been a part of some incredible matches in his career. Whether he will compete anywhere near the top of the rankings again remains to be seen, but he suggested last summer, when he travelled to the US Open to hit with John McEnroe, that he thought he could still rival some of the modern-day greats.

“I’m seeing the older players are playing an aggressive game, just serves and forehands and very short points.

“From my point of view, a guy who makes a smart game, a smart play, he has a chance to win a tournament. That’s the reason Novak [Djokovic] is still playing. I think he has the experience, he has the game and he’s very smart on court.

“But the other guys are very strong, and that gives a little message to me, because if I am healthy, I will be in that position again.”

Coming back from surgery is never easy. Just look at Roger Federer over the last few years. Or Andy Murray. Or Stan Wawrinka. None have been able to hit the heights they did in their prime after being sidelined through injury.

It may help Del Potro that he has two huge weapons to rely on – his serve and his forehand.

Djokovic last year brought up Del Potro as one of the biggest hitters in the game ahead of facing Matteo Berrettini at the US Open. “Hammer tennis. Lethal serve and forehand, perhaps the hardest hitter, along with Del Potro.”

Roger Federer is another one to have sung the praises of Del Potro’s forehand in the past.

“What I like about it, he doesn’t really hold back. He doesn’t care if he misfires a few times. He keeps doing it until he finds his range and his rhythm.

“It seems like a huge takeback, so you always feel like he’s going to be late on it. At the end of the day he’s in position when he needs to be. He drives through the ball perfectly. I think a lot of juniors actually should look at that forehand as a great forehand.”

It would be fascinating to see Del Potro take on some of the world’s best players again. He’s beaten Djokovic in some big moments in their careers - although is on the wrong side of a 16-4 head-to-head record – and has won three of his last six matches against Nadal, including beating him on the way to the 2018 US Open final. He is yet to face world No 2 Daniil Medvedev and has only played Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas three times combined, winning on every occasion.

But even if Del Potro’s forehand and serve are firing, his chances of success may depend on the reliability of his backhand and his movement. If he is finding it difficult to quickly get around the court after his knee issues then it will be harder to get into position to unleash the forehand.

This feels like it could be the final shot for Del Potro, who initially had hopes of returning for the Tokyo Olympics last summer but shelved them to focus more on his recovery. He said in the summer that the last few years have the “toughest match” of his career, but he remains determined to try and get back on tour.

“I love the challenge. It could be a tennis challenge or a different challenge in life…This is the life. I believe in myself that this is going to be in the past for sure. But I think it’s also a message to the young kids, to all the players, to all the people around the world that they never have to give up following a dream and that’s what I’m doing with myself.”

Del Potro’s determination is admirable, and it will be marvellous to see him back on a tennis court after so long way. Here’s hoping this time he can stick around for a while.

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