Resurgent Juan Martin del Potro Will Be a Top Grand Slam Contender in 2017

Every encounter with adversity (and he experienced plenty) has only made Juan Martin del Potro stronger.

Healthy and playing regularly for the first time in three years, Del Potro issued a resounding message this summer to the competition: He’s once again a legitimate Grand Slam contender.

If they don’t already, the other top players should fear the ascending Argentine. 

How he reached this point is nothing short of miraculous. The pain of four wrist surgeries in five years tested Del Potro’s spirit, nearly sending him to an early retirement. His career in doubt as his health kept yo-yoing, he persevered and is now being rewarded for that faith.

Beginning his season in February and down to 1,045 in the rankings, Del Potro has managed to climb all the way to No. 64, primarily based on his efforts the last few months. One monumental win after another—on the biggest stages, no less—are piling up for him as he rounds back into form.

At Wimbledon, his first major appearance since the 2014 Australian Open, Del Potro earned his first top-10 victory in two-and-a-half years by taking out Stan Wawrinka in the second round. That was just a warm-up for things to come.

Time off in July allowed him to rest and prepare for the Olympics, which he won bronze at in 2012. This time, he’d go one step further, bringing home a silver medal and dazzling the world with a bruising display of tennis.

In the first round, Del Potro outmuscled Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), delivering the shock of the tournament. Never letting the world No. 1 get into any sort of rhythm, he simply hit him off the court with thunderous forehands and brought the Rio de Janeiro crowd to their feet.

“Amazing, amazing match for me,” Del Potro told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “I didn’t expect to beat Novak tonight, because I know my situation.”

He wouldn’t coast through his next matches, but Del Potro fought his way into the semifinals. There, he collided with Rafael Nadal, who coincidentally was recovering from a wrist injury of his own.

Whatever physical pain they might have been dealing with, you wouldn’t know it based on the gem of a match they produced. And this one went to Del Potro 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5), his game firing on all cylinders in key moments.

Del …

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