Juan Martin del Potro's Long Road Back

Until the 2009 US Open, Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro was just another promising young player on the ATP Tour. That all changed at Flushing Meadows in 2009, where del Potro became the first ever player to defeat both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the same Major Championship en route to the title. With this first Major under his belt, the immediate future seemed extremely bright for del Potro. The rest of 2009 was a bit of a rollercoaster for the Argentinian, with a string of retirements leading to a spot in the final at the ATP World Tour Finals, which he lost to Nikolay Davydenko.

The 2010 year would prove to be the most difficult of del Potro's life. A wrist injury led to a retirement at the AAMI Kooyong Classic, which is a lead up for the Australian Open. He entered the Australian Open with the wrist injury still ailing him, and he bowed out in the fourth round after a tough five-set loss to Marin Cilic. Del Potro then took an entire month off, hoping this rest would help heal his wrist. This did not prove to be the case, as the wrist injury continued to cripple him. After withdrawing from tournament after tournament, del Potro decided it was time to have surgery, which occurred on May 4, 2010. This was when the Argentinian was a top-5 player in the world.

Del Potro made his return to tennis at the 2010 PTT Thailand Open, which was about nine months after he had played his last competitive tennis match. Juan Martin del Potro was hoping that 2011 would be the year that he, finally healthy, would sour back in the top-10 in the world. This plan did not start out as planned, as a second round exit at the Australian Open left him as the 485th-ranked player in the world. A string of stellar performances and the determination to succeed helped the Major Champion climb back into the top-50 in the world. Del Potro's first ever Round of 16 appearance at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships earned him the World Ranking of 19.

While he will be the first to admit that it has not been easy, Juan Martin del Potro is back. Being away from the game you love for nine months is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, especially for someone whose ceiling seemed so endless. Nevertheless, del Potro's determination to return to where he thinks he belongs has been the driving force in his remarkable comeback. Now at almost full-strength, expect the Aregentinian to be a title contender once again at Flushing Meadows.