Juan Martin Del Potro and Gaby Sabatini shared the pitch / AFP
Gabriela Sabatini and Juan Martín Del Potro had the luxury of playing together. The Argentines were part of the Stars of the Open, where they faced Andy Roddick and the Danish Caroline Wozniacki (currently world number 70), who at the last minute had to replace Venus Williams.
The show took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows. Before them, the Italians Paolini and Berrettini played against the Polish Swiatek and the local Korda; while after them Agassi and Alcaraz played against McEnroe and Djokovic.
Previously, Juan Martín Del Potro trained with Novak Djokovic prior to the Serbian tennis player’s participation in the US Open, at the very A stadium of the tournament he won in 2009 and where he experienced many of the most emotional moments of his career.
“The Tower of Tandil” was the protagonist of one of the most exciting episodes in the history of Argentine tennis when he won the US Open in 2009, after beating Swiss Roger Federer in the final in a match that lasted five sets.
That New York night, a 20-year-old Del Potro fulfilled his dream and achieved what seemed impossible: beating Roger Federer at Arthur Ashe Stadium to prevent the Swiss from being crowned there for the sixth consecutive time.
On his way to the final, the Tandil native had defeated Juan “Pico” Monaco, Jurgen Melzer, Daniel Koellerer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Marin Cilic and Rafael Nadal, crushing the Spaniard with an impressive triple 6-2.
But 2009 was not an isolated episode for Del Potro at the US Open. The best Argentine player of the last few decades has always had very good results at the Grand Slam, having also reached the final in 2018, the semi-finals in 2017 and the quarter-finals in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
It was in 2017 that he made one of the most incredible comebacks of his career. In the fourth round he faced the Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Delpo had been suffering from flu all day and that was reflected in the start of the match, where Thiem won comfortably 6-1 and 6-2.
However, Del Protro once again achieved the impossible, he found strength where he had none and ended up winning in five sets.
Even the legend Roger Federer was surprised by the level that Del Potro showed to turn that match around and shared a video of himself on social media where he compared his drive with Thor’s hammer: “Juan Martín del THORtro”.
