Juan Martin del Potro gallery: From winning the US Open to swimming with dolphins and Davis Cup glory

Juan Martin del Potro with the US Open trophy

Juan Martin del Potro enjoyed plenty of highs on the ATP Tour and with the former world No 3 looking set to retire from tennis, we look at some of his greatest moments and a few of his lows in tennis.

Juan Martin del Potro ecstatic
Juan Martin Del Potro introduced himself at ATP Tour level in 2008 when he won the Stuttgart Open, beating Richard Gasquet in the final to win his maiden singles title.

A 19-year-old Juan Martin del Potro had his first taste of trophy success at the highest level in July 2008 when won his maiden ATP title with a two-set victory over Richard Gasquet in Stuttgart.

Juan Martin del Potro with a Mercedes SLK 350
His victory at the Stuttgart Open final not only brought him a shiny new trophy, but he also drove off with a Mercedes SLK 350 as Mercedes were the tournament sponsors.

And it is not only trophies that started to roll in as he also managed to bag a snazzy Mercedes SLK 350 with his Stuttgart Open victory.

Joy for Juan Martin del Potro
In 2009 it all started to click for the Argentine as he claimed some big scalps, here he celebrates after defeating Rafael Nadal at the Sony Ericsson Open.

He had soon started to build a big reputation as someone who could take down the biggest names in the sport as Rafael Nadal found in Miami in March 2009.

Juan Martin del Potro in action
By the time the 2009 US Open arrived, Del Potro had truly made a name for himself and he pulled off stunning win after stunning win.

Del Potro enjoyed a truly remarkable 2009 US Open as his powerful serve and booming forehand delivered a perfect combination en route to the final.

Juan Martin del Potro with the US Open trophy
It was a moment to savour for the man from Tandil as he went all the way at Flushing Meadows in 2009, winning his maiden Grand Slam title with a series of remarkable results.

Del Potro experienced the sweet taste of success at the 2009 US Open as he was the last man standing with the victory ensuring he joined the Grand Slam winners’ circle.

Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro with the trophies at the 2009 US Open
Not only did he win the US Open trophy, but he did so by defeating Rafael Nadal in the semi-final and Roger Federer in the final to become the first Argentine since Mariano Puerta in 2005 to win a major.

Beating tennis greats Nadal and Federer en route to your maiden Grand Slam is never an easy feat, but that was exactly what Del Potro did as he defeated Federer 3–6, 7–6 (7–5), 4–6, 7–6 (7–4), 6–2 in the final.

Juan Martin del Potro in action
But his injury woes were never far away as he missed several months in 2010 due to a serious wrist injury that required surgery.

The injuries soon started to take its toll as he missed the bulk of the 2010 campaign after undergoing an operation on his injured wrist.

But once he returned to action, he was back winning trophies as he won seven titles – including the two Estoril Open trophies – between February 2011 and February 2013.

You can’t keep a good man down for too long though as he once he returned to full fitness, the trophies started to flow again. Here he enjoys his second Estoril Open title.

Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro after their 2012 London Olympics semi-final
He was involved in an epic semi-final clash against Roger Federer at the 2012 London Olympics with the Swiss icon winning the four-hour marathon 6–3, 6–7, 17–19.

The 2012 London Games delivered an all-time classic as he battled Federer for four hours and 43 minutes in the semi-final, but he ended up on the losing side at Wimbledon.

But the Tower of Tandil did not leave the London Games empty-handed as he won bronze in the men’s singles for Argentina after defeating Novak Djokovic in the play-off match.

There was a smile on his face a few days later as he won his first-ever Olympic medal, a bronze medal after winning the third-place play-off against Djokovic at Wimbledon.

Juan Martin del Potro reacts after a match at Wimbledon
In 2013, Del Potro enjoyed his best run at Wimbledon as he reached the semi-final for the first time, only to fall short against Djokovic in a five-set marathon.

The following year he returned to SW19 for the grass-court Grand Slam and enjoyed has best performance at the All England Club before losing in five sets to Djokovic.

Juan Martin del Potro enjoys some time away from court
The injury woes returned and he missed the bulk of the 2014 and 2015 seasons as he was forced to undergo wrist surgery again. Swimming with dolphins in Miami in 2015 was a brief highlight.

What followed was two nightmare season due to injury as he underwent wrist surgery at the beginning of 2014 and again a year later with one of the few highlights being a swim with the dolphins in Miami.

Joy for Juan Martin del Potro at the Rio Games
The Argentine finally returned to action in 2016 and there were emotional scenes as he beat Rafael Nadal en route to the gold medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

He made a triumphant return in 2016 as he defeated world No 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round and Rafael Nadal in the semi-final to reach the gold medal match at the Rio Games.

Juan Martin del Potro Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori with their medals at the Rio Games
He finished runner-up in the gold medal match as Andy Murray won 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5, but silver also put a smile on his face at the Rio Olympics.

He came up short in the final against Andy Murray as the reigning Olympic champion successfully defended his gold medal, but it still signalled a triumphant return for Del Potro.

Davis Cup glory for Juan Martin del Potro and Argentina
Bigger and better things were to come later in the year as he helped Argentina to win their first-ever Davis Cup title, beating Croatia in the finals in Zagreb.

His comeback year ended in spectacular fashion as he was part of the Argentina squad that lifted the country’s maiden Davis Cup trophy as they defeated Croatia.

Diego Maradona at the 2016 Davis Cup Finals
To makes things even more special, the great Diego Maradona was there to witness Del Potro and Argentina’s Davis Cup trophy run. He certainly enjoyed the wild celebrations.

Football legend Diego Maradona enjoyed every single moment as they all took in the country’s first Davis Cup title. He certainly knew a thing or two about winning big titles.

Delight for Juan Martin del Potro at the 2016 Davis Cup
It was a moment to cherish for Del Potro as after so many injury heartbreaks, he helped his country to win the biggest title in team tennis.

Del Potro was overcome with emotion as after almost two years on the sidelines, he made a triumphant return to help Argentina to lift the Davis Cup.

Juan Martin del Potro in action
He returned to his best form over the next few months as he reached several finals and life on the court was good again.

Juan Martin del Potro in full flow as a sight to behold and one that most fans welcomed as he regained his best form over the next few months.

Joy for Juan Martin del Potro at the 2018 Indian Wells Masters
He continued his climb back to the top as in March 2018 he won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy, defeating Roger Federer in the Indian Wells Masters final.

There was also individual glory at the 2018 Indian Wells Masters as he beat Federer in three sets to win his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 title in California.

Juan Martin del Potro and Novak Djokovic at the 2018 US Open
There was more joy at the 2018 US Open as he enjoyed another magical run to reach his second final at Flushing Meadows, finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic.

Later in 2018 he reached his second Grand Slam final, but this time he was not the last man standing as Djokovic beat him in three sets in the US Open final.

Juan Martin del Potro in action
There were more magical moments as he also finished runner-up at the China Open in 2018, but it proved to be his last appearance in an ATP Tour final.

He followed up his US Open final appearance with another run to the final in China a few weeks later and was hoping it was a sign of things to come.

Juan Martin del Potro at the changeover
Ge picked up another serious knee injury in 2019 and missed the next two years of action. Although he returned in 2022, he hinted that he was on the verge of retirement.

There was more heartbreak in 2019 as he injured his knee and required four operations that kept him sidelined for more than two years. When he eventually returned in 2022, it was only to say farewell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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