Felipe Priante
Sao Paulo-SP) – One of the great names of his generation, Argentine Juan Martin del Potro is in São Paulo, where he participated in the opening of the Roland Garros Junior Series, last Tuesday. The 2009 US Open champion participated in events, even stepped onto the court, but due to a minor injury he was unable to play the ball.
“I’m fine, but I can’t move much because I feel pain, but I’m happy to be here in São Paulo at a great event for young people, a great opportunity for them to take advantage of,” explained the 35-year-old Argentine in an interview for TennisBrazil.
Del Potro said that the idea of playing a farewell match at the US Open, where he won his only Grand Slam, is no longer in his plans and now the focus is different. “I think things changed a little, time passed and I couldn’t recover my leg. Now I have new opportunities and new challenges. That desire I had last year is no longer there”, said the former number 3 in the world.
Following the circuit from a little further away, the ‘Torre de Tandil’ welcomes the establishment of new faces at the highest level, such as the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz and the Italian Jannik Sinner, both already with Slam titles. However, he still doesn’t rule out Serbian Novak Djokovic in the fight for the main tournaments.
“I really like Carlitos, Sinner is a very strong and solid guy and I also feel that Djokovic still has a good level to continue winning and will always be a favorite in any tournament. But we have to see how he is, if he still has the desire or is tired. Tennis is in good hands with Carlitos and Sinner”, commented Delpo.
Owner of two Olympic medals, bronze at the London Games in 2012 and silver at the Rio Games in 2016, the Argentine briefly analyzed the favorites to win in Paris this year. In addition to highlighting Djokovic, who is looking for an unprecedented Olympic gold, he also puts Alcaraz on the list and does not rule out fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
“For me, the Olympic Games are a great experience, something very beautiful that athletes can participate in and that lasts a lifetime. I believe Djokovic will fight to win gold, as he hasn’t achieved it yet. I wish he could do it because it’s the only thing missing from his career, but it will be fun. It will be on clay, we have to see if Rafa plays, how Carlitos and the other players will be”, he concluded.
