personal information
Name Story by: Juan Martin del Potro (Spanish) Juan Martin del Potro)
Growth: 198 cm
The weight: 97 kg
Carier start: 2005
working hand: right
Backhand: two-handed
Citizenship: Argentina
Biography
Juan Martin del Potro was born on September 23, 1988. Martin is one of two children of Daniel and Patricia del Potro. The tennis player has a younger sister, whose name is Juliet. Juan is not the first in the family to start playing sports professionally, but not in vain. The father of the Argentine semi-professional played rugby. So we can say that Juan decided to follow in his father's footsteps.
Among his acquaintances, the Argentine has the nicknames Enano, Polito, Delpo.
He began to take his first steps in sports at the age of 7, together with his coach Marcelo Gomez, and since then he has not parted with a racket.
The athlete is well aware that he will not be on the field all his life, therefore, as an alternative, he calls architecture - this is his second hobby and, perhaps, it would have become his main occupation, if not for tennis.
Sports career
Juan started playing tennis at the age of 7.
In 2002, his first significant victory was the junior tournament in the Orange Bowl tournament in the under 14 age category. Three years later, he wins three tournaments from the series ITF Futures. In November of the same year, success comes to him at the ATP Challenger Series tournament in Montevideo.
In 2006, after long setbacks and concessions by his opponent in technique and points, Juan celebrates his victory in the tournament " Challenger» in Segovia. In the same year, he made his debut in the United States at an open tournament. Unfortunately for the tennis player, he was not crowned with success, but the level at which the athlete began to perform was already worthy of respect.
In 2007, the young and promising Juan turns 18 and is already a full-fledged player in the top hundred. On the debut of the Open Championship, the player reaches the second round and refuses to play in the game against Fernando Gonzalez.
The 2008 season becomes a breakthrough for him in his professional career. This year, Juan plays at Wimbledon, where he loses in the second round, as well as at the French Open.
Having conquered the court of Europe, the Argentine moves to America, where he switches from playing on clay to hard, and at the same time he never ceases to amaze. On his account, he won the tournament in Los Angeles and the tournament in Washington. As a result, on the eve of the US Open del Potro won 19 matches in a row, winning 4 tournaments: Stuttgart, Kitzbühel, Washington and Los Angeles. After that, Juan becomes a world star and takes the 17th line of the world ranking.
The year 2009 turned out to be even better for the player than the previous one, and after significant victories at the tournament in Auckland, Australian Open, he rises to the 5th line of the world ranking. In early August, Juan defended his last year's title at the tournament in Washington.
The first official tournament in 2010 for del Potro is Australian Open where he gets to the fourth round. Shortly before this bustle, he briefly managed to reach his highest line in the ranking of 4th place. After Australia del Potro was forced to miss most of the season due to a wrist injury he received in training. His return took place at the end of September at a tournament in Bangkok, where he lost in the first round. Until the end of the year, he played only one more tournament in Tokyo, where he also lost in the first meeting. Having played only three tournaments in all of 2010, del Potro dropped to 258th in the rankings.
2012 began for Juan with the quarter-finals in Sydney. At the Australian Open, Del Potro managed to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost to Roger Federer.
The autumn indoor season brought two titles (in Vienna and Basel, where Federer was beaten for the first time in eight matches), as well as the semi-finals of the Final Competition, where the Argentine played for the first time since 2009.
Del Potro entered the next season very progressively: on Australan Open he lost already in the third round, but during the subsequent hard segment he was able to quickly approach his best playing form, marking the title in Rotterdam, the semi-final in Dubai and the final at masters in Indian Wells, where for the first time in five matches, the Argentine managed to beat Novak Djokovic.
By the grass season, all the health problems of the athlete after the previous championships were resolved and the Argentine returned to the competition again, quickly gaining an acceptable playing shape. On the Wimbledon he reached the semi-finals for the first time, beating David Ferrer in the quarter-finals, and losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, admitting his defeat only in the decisive game, after more than four and a half hours of play.
Personal life
Juan Martin del Potro seeks to combine sports career with family. Juan has a great passion - architecture, which could become his life if not for the professional career of an athlete.
In addition, he is very kind to his family, mentioning in almost every interview that this is his main support.
Juan is a young and handsome athlete, so he also has no end to his fans. The tennis player is credited with many novels with models and tennis players. Among them are Karina Jelinek, Johana Villafanie and Stephanie Demner. And this is just the beginning of a long list of Juan's lovers.
Interesting Facts
Del Potro's victory US Open 2009 was the first victory for South Americans in this tournament since 1977, when Guillermo Vilas won.
The player can be safely called a giant, because thanks to the growth of 198 cm, Del Potro- the tallest of the players who have ever won the Grand Slam tournaments.
Juan is very kind to his younger sister and indulges her from time to time. For example, the Mercedes-Benz CLK won as a prize for winning the singles tournament in Stuttgart-2008, the Argentine gave to his sister.
Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro was born in early autumn 1988 in Tandil. He began to get involved in sports from early childhood, as he grew up, in fact, in a sports family. His dad used to play rugby. But be that as it may, little Juan Del Potro stopped only at tennis, where from the first training he decided to become a professional athlete. At that time he was only seven.
In a fairly short period of time, the young tennis player Del Potro was able to achieve considerable success. In any case, a few years later, Del Potro, in fact, managed to become one of the strongest young tennis players in his state. First, he became a professional. It was 2005. Then in the spring he was the winner in three tournaments from the ITF Futures series, and in the fall he won the Challenger.
In 2007, Del Potro also took part in the Grand Slam. Alas, at that time the young tennis player was not lucky enough to enter the finals of the strongest athletes. He was defeated by his opponent on the second round of the game. But Juan Martin Del Potro did not lose heart. Therefore, the year 2008 brings him great luck, which, in fact, he has always dreamed of. His game at the Grand Slam tournament turned out to be one of the best, where the tennis player reached the quarterfinals.
At the very end of 2009, Juan Martin's old hand injury worsened. He decided to undergo surgery and ended up missing the entire 2010 season. True, Del Potro still played in three tournaments, but this did not save him: he dropped to 268th place in the ranking. However, by the end of the next year, he was again able to rise to the eleventh position. He won a number of small competitions.
In 2012, Del Potro has already won tournaments in Marseille and Oeiras. In the new season at Wimbledon, he reached the semi-finals for the first time, where, as a result, he defeated
After a long pause due to injury, as well as several operations, Juan Martin del Potro returns to the tour. A kind of trademark of the Argentinean is a brutal right hand with running along the line (the so-called inside-in forehand) from the left corner of the court. Below we provide expert Nick Bollettieri's explanation of how del Potro's risky finishing move functions.
Phase 1. Through the "eastern grip" - to maximum strength
Del Potro uses an oriental grip, a classic forehand grip. With it, the wrist and palm are behind the handle of the racket. This grip has become, however, a rarity among professional tennis players in recent times, as it does not allow the ball to be given a strong topspin. But del Potro almost doesn't need to spin – he wants to generate power with his shot. And it is for this purpose that the “eastern grip” is ideal, since the brush provides optimal resistance at the moment of contact. Big and athletic players like del Potro have the right constitution for such "powerful" shots.
Phase 2. Cross or line? Almost completely unpredictable for the opponent
After a long swing, del Potro "drops" the head of the racket down to the level at which the ball flies. Pay attention to his stance: he is standing on the left, but he has long run behind the ball in such a way that he can now use his dangerous forehand. At the same time, it is unclear whether del Potro will now strike a cross or play the line, and this is what significantly complicates the situation for the opponent. Also, the Argentine lifts the center of gravity of his body up, straightening his legs and torso.
Phase 3. Rotation of the shoulders and hips at the point of contact
Optimal rotation of the hip and shoulders is achieved at the right moment, namely at the point of contact. At the same time, there is an additional power impulse from the legs. As a result, del Potro develops the incredible power of his shot, while maintaining control at the same time. At this point, it becomes clear that he is hitting the ball along the line. This variation is called "forehand with running along the line" (English - inside in forehand). A more common variation is the so-called "forehand with running back cross" (English - inside out forehand).
Phase 4. Untapped Forehand with Line Run – Surprise Effect
A line-running forehand has a lot of potential for surprise. This strike is performed by professionals, rather, less often, because the risk is too great: when hitting the line, the net is lower and it often turns out that the opponent receives the ball under a stronger right (for right-handers) hand. At the same time, one's own right side remains open, as if inviting the opponent to land a final forehand with a cross there. That is why del Potro's kick must be sure to be untaken. He swings the racquet far forward, while lifting slightly off the ground.
Phase 5. The speed of the racket head appears at the final stage of the swing.
At the final stage of the swinging movement of the racket, the energy that del Potro put into his shot becomes visible. It is clearly shown in the position of his striking hand, which is now strongly directed outward. This is the result of the speed with which the head of the Argentine racket moves. Since he does little forearm work, swinging the racquet at full strength with an almost straight arm, the head develops an ultra-high pace. This is how del Potro's forehand shots are born.
Phase 6. The angle of rotation of the shock arm - over 180 degrees
The striking shoulder twists further and rotates more than 180 degrees, which is further evidence of the incredible swinging movement in this strike. It is important at the same time that the body is in relative peace, and the legs remain balanced. Due to this, del Potro maintains a high degree of control over the ball - in addition to strength, this is the main prerequisite for the success of this shot, otherwise the opponent can easily play on the counterattack.
We can say with certainty: if del Potro's hammering forehand reaches an opponent, then rarely something flies back.
Argentinean Juan Martin Del Potro has a very successful professional tennis career. To date, he is an Olympic medalist in singles, winner US Open and 19 series tournaments APR, as well as the former fourth racket of the world in singles.
The beginning of a tennis career
Juan Martin began his first training at the age of seven under the guidance of mentor Marcelo Gomez. His sporting future was determined by his father's passion for semi-professional rugby. Like many other young tennis players of that time, little Juan's idol was the legendary Pete Sampras. In the very first junior performances, Juan Martin Del Potro won recognition and a brilliant reputation. Victories at the Orange Bowl, three "futures" and one "Challenger" ensured him the title of the third racket of the world among juniors.
Juan Martin Del Potro: Professional Level
The beginning of the adult tour for Del Potro falls on 2006. Already in 2007, he competed as one of the top 100 tennis players on the planet and, together with Travis Parrott, won his first ATP title in Indianapolis.
In 2008, the young athlete is the winner of 19 matches played in a row, and is in 17th position in the global rankings. US Open - 2008 allows Del Potro to reach the quarterfinals, and a year later the US Open submits to the ambitious Argentinean. His victory was all the more resounding because on the way to it he beat himself Rafael Nadal, and became the first victory for the Argentine at the US Open since 1977.
Last years
In 2010, Juan Martin Del Potro reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, but a wrist injury forced him to stop playing for most of the games of the season. Subsequent losses aggravate the situation, and the tennis player falls to 258th position in the global rankings.
Performances in competitions in 2011 allow the athlete to rise to 11th place in the ranking, and bronze at the Olympic Games in London in 2012 strengthen his position - Del Potro becomes the seventh racket of the world. 2013 brought a repeat of the success of four years ago - a victory in Rotterdam, the final performance at the Masters tournament in Indian Wells and the semi-final Wimbledon raise his rating by two more positions, to 5th place among the best tennis players on the planet.
The following year, Del Potro was forced to take a break from performances for rehabilitation after wrist surgery, and attempts to return to the court in 2015 result in numerous withdrawals from various tournaments due to the resulting pain.
Juan Martin Del Potro