{"id":76472,"date":"2024-12-02T15:56:19","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T20:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=76472"},"modified":"2024-12-02T15:56:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T20:56:19","slug":"top-5-matches-of-juan-martin-del-potro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2024\/12\/02\/top-5-matches-of-juan-martin-del-potro\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Matches of Juan Martin del Potro"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2024\/11\/30\/juan-martin-del-potro-talks-about-heartbreaking-struggles\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Juan Martin del Potro<\/a> bid farewell to his tennis career after beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5 in an exhibition match in front of his home crowd. Throughout his career, he has delivered several unforgettable performances against the greatest players of his era. Here are the top 5 matches that defined del Potro&#8217;s legacy:<\/p>\n<h2><b>5. London Olympics 2012 Bronze Medal Match vs. Novak Djokovic<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>After a heartbreaking loss to Roger Federer in the semifinals, del Potro bounced back to claim the Bronze Medal at the 2012 London Olympics by defeating Novak Djokovic, 7-5 6-4. The victory was significant, as it earned Argentina its first tennis medal in the Olympics and helped the former World No.3 regain confidence after a grueling tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Despite rain delays, del Potro\u2019s focus and composure were evident. His powerful groundstrokes and ability to handle the big points were crucial in overcoming the 24-time Grand Slam champion. Djokovic had lost to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2024\/11\/25\/andy-murray-coaching-djokovic-masterstroke\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Andy Murray<\/a> in the semifinals before landing a spot in the Bronze Medal match with del Potro.<\/p>\n<h2><b>4. Rio Olympics 2016 First Round vs Novak Djokovic<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In one of the most shocking upsets in Olympic tennis history, del Potro defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The 2009 US Open Champion, ranked outside the top 100 due to injuries, played inspired tennis to win 7-6(4), 7-6(2).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Del Potro\u2019s forehand was nearly unplayable, and his mental toughness in two tie-breaks sealed the win. The victory was even more dramatic given the Argentine earlier mishap, getting stuck in an elevator hours before the match. This triumph set the tone for a remarkable Olympic run, where del Potro eventually won the Silver Medal. The Argentine lost to Andy Murray in the Gold Medal match.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a  id=\"lXGQHjdmTrh1S87zDhLrJA\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/149855538\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'lXGQHjdmTrh1S87zDhLrJA',sig:'zHKt6FGoH5Y1xuDZvcE8Zm5kRcbC9UwcdpR5r1ErL3g=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'149855538',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><b>3. Shanghai Masters 2013 Semifinal vs Rafael Nadal<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>In the semifinals of the 2013 Shanghai Masters, del Potro once again outplayed Rafael Nadal, this time in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. The Argentine aggressive and accurate baseline game overwhelmed Nadal, who struggled to find his rhythm against the Argentinian&#8217;s heavy shots.<\/p>\n<p>Del Potro dictated the match with his forehand, converting crucial break points and saving several against Nadal\u2019s counterattacks. This victory marked the 36-year-old fourth win against Nadal and his first since their epic battles in 2009. It also avenged his loss against the Spaniard in the Indian Wells final earlier that year.<\/p>\n<h2>2. US Open 2009 Final vs Roger Federer<\/h2>\n<p>The 2009 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/category\/us-open\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">US Open<\/a> final was a historic moment for del Potro. Facing Roger Federer, who had won the previous five US Open titles, the Argentine was the underdog. The match turned into a five-set classic, with del Potro rallying from a set down twice to claim a 3-6 7-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 victory.<\/p>\n<p>The win marked del Potro\u2019s first Grand Slam title, making him the first Argentinian man to win the US Open since Guillermo Vilas in 1977. It also ended Federer\u2019s 40-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows. Before Djokovic in 2011, the former World No.3 remains the only player to defeat Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam event.<\/p>\n<h2><b>1. US Open 2009 Semifinal vs Rafael Nadal<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>In one of the most dominant performances of his career, Juan Mart\u00edn del Potro dismantled World No. 3 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the 2009 US Open. Many expected Nadal to breeze past the young Argentinian, but del Potro shocked everyone with a stunning 6-2 6-2 6-2 victory.<\/p>\n<p>The 36-year-old relentless forehand, impeccable serving, and fearless attitude left Nadal with no answers. This match showcased del Potro&#8217;s potential to challenge the sport\u2019s elite and set up a final against five-time defending champion Roger Federer. The semifinal win remains one of the most one-sided victories over Nadal in a major tournament.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Juan Martin del Potro bid farewell to his tennis career after beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5 in an exhibition match in front of his home crowd. Throughout his career, he has delivered several unforgettable performances against the greatest players of his era. Here are the top 5 matches that defined del Potro&#8217;s legacy: 5. London [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5286,"featured_media":71448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[16,84,22,135,114],"class_list":["post-76472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-atp","tag-andy-murray","tag-juan-martin-del-potro","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-rafael-nadal","tag-roger-federer"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5286"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76472"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76493,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76472\/revisions\/76493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}