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Can Juan Martin Del Potro complete the Sunshine Double?

By Keshav Gopalan

INDIAN WELLS, CA - MARCH 18: Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina holds up the trophy in front of Roger Federer of Switzerland after his victory in the ATP final during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 18, 2018 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA - MARCH 18: Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina holds up the trophy in front of Roger Federer of Switzerland after his victory in the ATP final during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 18, 2018 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Juan Martin Del Potro won his very first Masters title in a nailbiting three-setter against Roger Federer in Indian Wells. Announcing his comeback in a spectacular fashion, Delpo has had a great season so far, with a final in Auckland and another title in Acapulco. Will his great form so far and the weakened draw allow Del Potro complete the elusive Sunshine Double?

The path to the Final

Haase – Nishikori- Krajinovic/Paire – Raonic/Dimitrov – Chung/Cilic and finally Federer/Zverev. Keep in mind that this is a speculative guess and take it with a grain of salt.

Is it possible?

Certainly. However, his path to the final isn’t as straightforward as one might assume. While he leads 4-0 against Haase and 5-2 against Nishikori, he is 0-1 against Paire, 2-2 against Milos Raonic and he’s never met either Krajinovic or Chung, the latter being a player who could derail Delpo. After all, Chung’s game style is well suited for the aggressive style of Delpo’s, so a potential Semi-Final match would be fun to watch.

Next: Novak Djokovic and David Goffin crash out of Miami

Key points for Juan Martin

  • Backhand: Delpo’s backhand has seen some tremendous improvement over the past two years, from his slice reliant mess of a backhand to almost 100% backhand, Delpo’s backhand now has a good amount of pace and depth, and this will be crucial in the outcome of his tournament.
  • Mental fortitude: In the final against Federer, Del Potro displayed some incredible mental strength, with saving three match points in the decider on Federer’s serve and break points early in the third. Delpo will have to keep it up to dig deep in a tournament in which his draw is (surprisingly) difficult for his seeding.
  • Tactical tennis: Yes, Delpo is a hard striker, but his tennis IQ is nothing to scoff at. Smart play can triumph over pure ball bashing. Now combining those gets you the Thorhand and having the distinction of being only the third player to defeat Federer in a slam final, masters final and ATP 500 final. The combination of these three important points should see Delpo through to the finish line.An important point to note is that Delpo has been to the quarters or better of Miami only once – in 2009, where he reached the semi-finals ( l. to Murray). Considering these points, do you feel Delpo can complete the Sunshine double?
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