Del Potro wants more grand slam success

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:48

The 20-year-old from Argentina scored one of the upsets of the year at Flushing Meadows when he beat world number one and five-time defending champion Federer in five sets to claim the US Open men’s singles title in his first grand slam final.

“I have new opportunities in the other grand slams to win, because if I did it here, if I beat Nadal, Federer and many good players, maybe I can do one more time,” he said. “But, of course, it will be difficult, because I was so close to losing.”

It was del Potro’s first victory over Federer in seven attempts, denying the Swiss star a 16th grand slam title, ending a 40-match winning streak at the tournament and preventing him from becoming the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win six US national championships in a row.

Furthermore, the 6ft 6ins Argentine became the first man to beat both Federer and Rafael Nadal en route to a grand slam title.

But del Potro added: “I just want to live this moment. Of course I will be in the history of this tournament, that’s amazing for me.”

Del Potro had looked in danger of going the way of Federer’s five previous US Open final victims – Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – when he lost the first set 6-3 and had two set points against him in the second.

He saved them both and broke the Federer serve, going on to take a tie-break and level the match. He then fell behind again when he lost the third set 6-4 on successive double faults and yet again fought back in the next set with a tie-break victory to level the match and take the champion into his first five-set final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

An early break of serve put del Potro in charge and he closed out the match with the loss of just two games as if he had been through the experience in a grand slam a hundred times before.

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