Will Olympics Run Help Juan Martin del Potro Rekindle His Career?

Contemplating retirement at the end of 2015, Juan Martin del Potro nearly threw in the towel on a once-promising career sadly halted by injuries.

Several months later, he finds himself on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Hope has imbued the gentle Argentine once again thanks to his inspiring run at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. With a cathartic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) takedown of No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round, Del Potro announced to the world that he’s still a forced to be feared.

Headed toward becoming another “what could have been” story, that win could instead ignite his comeback as he attempts to construct a successful second act.

Vintage Del Potro showed up against Djokovic. The booming serves. The earth-shattering forehands. The baseline resilience. From the first ball, he had the Serbian on the ropes, using relentless aggression and absurd power to hit Djokovic off the court.

The sport’s greatest returner didn’t offer much resistance to slow the Del Potro blitzkrieg. Forehands that probably registered on the Richter scale sent Djokovic to a shocking defeat in a repeat of their bronze-medal match from 2012, stifling his dream of completing a career Golden Slam.

Nothing could stop Del Potro on this magical day, not even a broken elevator.

“I think this victory, it’s more big for me because I know my present,” Del Potro told the New York Times’ Christopher Clarey. “I know how tough it was to come back in tennis after my third surgery on the wrist, and I think I played one of the best matches of my career.”

When it was over, both men shared an emotional moment at net that spoke volumes about the respect they have for one another:

I am dead. https://t.co/d0wv751r2Z

— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) August 8, 2016

A teary-eyed Djokovic sauntered away, leaving a jubilant Del Potro to raise his arms in celebration. After the emotional and physical journey he endured just to play again, this …

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