Nothing comes easy in this life, especially for a professional tennis player with high aspirations. For Juan Martin del Potro, life has been quite a journey so far. He went from the ultimate glory only a Grand Slam title can produce to being few inches away from quitting tennis for good. It was last season when he put his things together and built up one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history. Almost a thousand spots in the ranking were leapfrogged in one season putting del Potro back on the radar. So far, the season of 2017 looks like a battle to consolidate last year's gain.
Bad luck with the draws
The Argentine kept his cool following his resurrection from 2016. A careful approach meant that he skipped the first part of the season including the Australian Open. The first ATP event which he played was at Delray Beach where he did great in reaching the semifinals. The draw put Milos Raonic, the first seed, on the other side of the court. Del Potro was unable to outshine Raonic on the outdoor hard and the same scenario has been put on a replay ever since having changed only the opponent. In Acapulco and Indian Wells, del Potro's run was stopped each time by Djokovic in the early rounds. In miami, things might be just the same as del Potro is on a collision trajectory with Roger Federer in the 3rd round.
The 29th seed in Miami, the former world no. 4 del Potro will start his bid most likely against Robin Haase (46 ATP).
Del Potro could use a long run in Miami
For a player like del Potro, it's the right time to gather some precious ranking points. The upcoming clay swing and the grass court session means a load of big tournaments including 2 Grand Slams all being packed in about three months time frame.
If he makes it to the 3rd round and Federer as well, some serious nostalgia will emerge on the center court at Key Biscayne. After all, a match against Federer will always be special for the Argentine as he won his only Grand Slam of his career defeating the Swiss star in 2009 US Open final.
