Del Potro, who was once ranked fourth highest in the world, said the performance against Djokovic gave him hope of fully overcoming his injury nightmare. “This week I’m just going slowly, trying to get better every day”.
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“No doubt this is one of the toughest losses in my life and in my career”, a distraught Djokovic told reporters.
‘For us, it’s very hard because Del Potro has a very important match.
Forty minutes! Not the best way to prepare for facing the best in your sport.
The 2009 US Open victor Del Potro has dropped to 145th in the rankings after several wrist operations but was considered the most risky floater in the field and the toughest draw Djokovic could have had. Indeed, it’s moments like these that make the Games fun and fascinating to watch!
The 27-year-old now faces Portugal’s Joao Sousa – hopefully after taking the stairs.
‘I’m very sad and disappointed from my side to go out in a tournament this early, but on the other hand I’m glad a good friend of mine, and somebody who has struggled the last couple of years with injuries, is back and playing at this level’. When he ended it stuck in tears, one would have thought that the Argentinian – the 2009 U.S. Open champion who played his first Grand Slam since 2014 this Wimbledon – crashed out of the men’s singles event at the Olympic Games in the first round.
The tall Argentine did not have to face a single break point to the 12-time Grand Slam victor. He also beat Djokovic for a bronze medal in the 2012 Summer Games in London.
Handball player Fede Pizarro tweeted out a photo of he and another teammate with Del Potro after the rescue.
Neither player was able to break, yet it was perhaps telling that Del Potro earned seven chances to triumph on the Djokovic serve, while the favourite failed to get a look-in when returning.
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One of these men will be a semifinalist in his portion of the bracket: del Potro, Spain’s 10th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, Japan’s Taro Daniel or Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, who advanced to the third round Monday by eliminating fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-3. When I hit, the crowd was cheering from the stands. It was a dream night. “I don’t think it changes too much for me as I have to just keep my focus and concentrate on one match at a time”.
