Is tennis missing a player like Juan Martin del Potro?

At 26 years of age, Juan Martin del Potro has already endured a roller coaster of a career. Having won the US Open in 2009 and broken the stranglehold of the Big Four, he is now in danger of becoming the forgotten man in men’s tennis, with injury taking it’s toll.

Whilst it might seem unthinkable that such a top player could just fizzle out, you only have to look as far as the likes of Robin Soderling and Mardy Fish, both former top 10 players, who have fallen off the radar. Del Potro’s situation, however, must be more frustrating than most.

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His left injury means that he can still hit serves and forehands, the shots the propelled him to super stardom, but is unable to play his double handed backhand without pain. Suggestions have even been made that he move to a single handed background.

I can’t help but feel like his presence is missed in the modern game. The Argentine brought something vastly different to the court when compared with the Big Four. the heavy ground strokes that exploded off his racquet were unique and enthralling.

When he beat Roger Federer in the 2009 US Open final, it was a blessing for the sport as it forced those who had dominated for so long to re-evaluate their game. Since then, the top guys have become more aggressive and more proactive in points, moving a way from the grinding style that was the hallmark of Nadal and then Djokovic and Murray.

It was an victory that also gave hope to the rest of the field, who must have felt like they were entering Grand Slams with a hope of making the quarter finals at best. Since then Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka, twice, have followed in his footsteps by playing the same brand of tennis.

The clash of style in a contest between say Murray and del Potro made for fantastic viewing. Del Potro was no shrinking violet on court early in his career, having some heated exchanges with the British number one especially. Cries for less of the friendly nature of the top of the sport were starting to be answered.

Nevertheless, injuries have almost forced del Potro to stop being so competitive as he can’t back it up with his game. In the last two years he has almost adopted the crowd entertainer role in the big games he has played, a far cry from the passion he brought to the court before.

It is heartbreaking to see del Potro speak candidly about his struggles and his battle to return to the tour and hopefully it is sooner rather than later that we see him crushing forehands at the very highest level.

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