Juan Martin del Potro is a dark horse who could stand in the way of a dream Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal a decade on from their classic in 2008.
And the Argentine fifth seed is confident of his chances here after rediscovering his best form following an injury nightmare that kept him out for two years.
Del Potro, the 2009 US Open winner, has fought back from a serious wrist problem and earlier this year he returned to the top 10 of the rankings for the first time since 2014.
The 29-year-old is up to No4 in the world and is an effective grass-court player who could be a big threat to Nadal in the bottom half of the draw.
Del Potro did not drop a set in the first week and is in line to meet Nadal in the quarter-finals if he beats Frenchman Gilles Simon in the fourth round today.
“I am going match by match but I am confident with my game at this time, so let’s see what happens,” he said.
“Roger and Rafa are the favourites, it is always the same, but my game is adapting well for this surface.”
Del Potro has had three operations on his wrist, which left him struggling to use his backhand, but he has made a strong start to the year and in March he won the ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells by defeating Roger Federer in the final. In doing so, he became the first player to beat Federer in 2018.
After years of struggles with his wrist, he is now able to hit a backhand free of pain and has developed an effective backhand slice to go with his big serve and powerful forehand.
“I am hitting a two-handed backhand more often, which is good for me whole game,” he said. “On this surface I can mix it up with the slices and hit hard when I have the chance to hit a winner with a two-handed backhand.”
He said: “I am confident but there are many players who can be important in the last matches.”
Source: News Agencies
