When we look back at the highlights of the 2016 tennis season, Juan Martin del Potro's moments of tearful joy will fill a reel of their own.
It will open with Delpo’s return to the tour after two years away in March, when he reached the semifinals in Del Ray Beach despite not being able to take a full swing at a backhand. Next, we’ll see clips of him two months later, as he thunders serves and forehands past a stunned Stan Wawrinka in his first win on Wimbledon’s Centre Court since 2013. Then we’ll cut to Delpo at the Rio Olympics, sending kisses to heaven after his wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
No one uses his personality to more useful effect, either. Del Potro is a natural at involving fans in his matches, and getting them to identify with his struggles. Of course, his weak link will always be his health. Coming into 2014, many of us predicted that Del Potro, who was surging at the time, would challenge for majors. Instead, he hurt his wrist and vanished.
After the Stockholm final, Delpo said he was surprised to win a tournament “at this stage in my career”—i.e., so soon after his return. He’s right: It was a shock to compare the way he played in Stockholm with the way he played in Del Ray nine months ago. In March, he was chipping or blocking his backhand into the middle of the court. While that shot still isn’t a powerful weapon, he came over it consistently in Stockholm, and hit it hard from defensive positions.
What’s most impressive about Delpo’s comeback, and what may help him most in the future, is the way he has used his weakness to make himself stronger. Faced with having to chip his backhand meekly, he focused on making everything else in his game better. Delpo used his chip backhand to set himself up for more forehands, and when he did get a look at a forehand, he made sure he did damage with it. The same went for his serve, which has become an even more essential weapon for him this season.
Can Del Potro, a man know for physical fragility, make himself into a symbol of resilience instead? For now, that which hasn’t destroyed him has only made him stronger.
