{"id":6944,"date":"2018-03-13T21:51:24","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T01:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=6944"},"modified":"2018-03-14T15:27:50","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T19:27:50","slug":"a-favorite-again-del-potro-surging-at-indian-wells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2018\/03\/13\/a-favorite-again-del-potro-surging-at-indian-wells\/","title":{"rendered":"Juan Martin Del Potro Surging at Indian Wells, Says He’s “Playing a Different Game Now”"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Indian Wells, CA)– Juan Martin Del Potro says his game is much different than it was before his wrist injury and that he’s now a more complete player.<\/p>\n

Could injury be a good thing?<\/p>\n

Baseball pitchers often come back from Tommy John surgery with more velocity, but that’s not what the resurgent World #8 means.<\/p>\n

Del Potro says multiple surgeries on his left wrist have forced him to become more versatile, using slice, drop shots, and approaching the net more often.<\/p>\n

“I like the way I’m playing now. It’s more funny to watch, also.” Del Potro said.<\/p>\n

The Argentine played a solid, if not dominant match against David Ferrer, winning 6-4, 7-6 and will next face fellow countryman Leo Mayer in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

Del Potro says he’s still getting treatments on his wrist and is far from satisfied with what he’s doing on the backhand wing.<\/p>\n

“I know I could hit much better than I did today, and I need a better backhand to<\/div>\n
keep winning and to improve my ranking and my game,” Del Potro said.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He says his slice is the most effective option at this point, but he still frequently attempts the drive backhand and has not given up on it.<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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“Of course I would prefer to have again my old backhand, my old two-handed backhand.\u00a0 But this is the way what I play today and I have to agree with that,” he said.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Del Potro should take heart:\u00a0 He’s on the way up after recovering while other stars of the men’s game are struggling badly with injuries, including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The shoe is on the proverbial other foot, or wristband on the other wrist, as the case may be.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
After Roger Federer, Del Potro is now the highest seed left in the tournament.<\/div>\n
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Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>