Argentine star Juan Martin Del Potro, former World No. 3 and 2009 US Open champion, was considered to be one of the greatest players of his generation, often giving tough battles to some of the biggest names such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. In a recent interview, Del Potro revealed one of his toughest losses.
Speaking to the French Open’s series ‘Memories of a Champion,’ published on March 28, Del Potro acknowledged that his loss to Federer in the 2009 Roland Garros semi-finals was “very painful” to him. “I have many memories, memories of winning tournaments, but also about losing important matches. Going down to Federer at Roland-Garros in 2009 was very painful,” he said.
It was Del Potro’s first Grand Slam semi-finals, and he lost 3-6, 7-6(2), 2-6. 6-1, 6-4. “That was the year Roger became champion, though I also fancied my chances that year,” he said. However, Del Potro didn’t have to wait much to have his revenge, as he then, famously, defeated Federer at the US Open final of that year, in another five-setter, claiming his only major title.
Curiously, Federer once said that if he could replay one match, it would be the US Open final. At the time, the Argentine put an end to Federer’s five consecutive title wins in New York. The Swiss legend would never reach another final at Flushing Meadows.
However, Del Potro and Federer faced each other many times on big stages. Another one of their well-remembered battles was their semifinal game at the 2012 Olympics, in which Federer won 3-6, 7-6 (5), 19-17 after four and 26 minutes at Wimbledon.
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Del Potro’s head-to-head vs the Big Three
Del Potro officially retired last year, after struggling with varying wrist and knee problems. However, as we said, the Argentine star, who won 22 ATP titles, was often one of the few players that put the Big Three in trouble.
Against Federer, he has a 7-18 record. With Del Potro winning their last encounter at the Indian Wells quarterfinals in 2018. He also beat the Swiss twice in Basel, defeating Federer in two finals.
Against Djokovic, Del Potro won 4 matches out of 20, including the Olympic Bronze in Rio. Meanwhile, he defeated Nadal six times, including in two semifinals at the US Open, with the Spaniard winning 11 matches.
