Thursday, March 26, 2015

Del Potro returns but loses in Miami

Del Potro returns but loses in Miami

Juan Martin del Potro lost 64 76 to Pospisil in the first round of the Miami Open 2015.

“Juan Martin hasn’t played many matches, but it’s still tough going out there because he’s still a big name,” Pospisil said. “That along with the [windy] conditions made it tough. But given the circumstances, I thought I played a great match.

“I didn’t really know what to expect [from del Potro] and that made it a little bit more difficult,” he added. “I wanted to play my game, try to put pressure and come to the net. I executed that game plan pretty well.”

Pospisil not only didn’t mind the crowd rooting against him, he said it spurred him.

“To be honest, I was enjoying it. It was like a Davis Cup atmosphere. I felt like I was playing away,” Pospisil said with a smile. “It was a great atmosphere, whether everyone was cheering against me or for me or it was equal. When there’s a big crowd and they’re into it, it’s more enjoyable for everybody.”

Pospisil said it was obvious to him that del Potro’s backhand wasn’t the same as usual.

“I tried to take advantage of that by coming in and putting pressure on that side,” he said. “He’s still serving well, and his forehand is huge, which made it tough. I just hung in there, got maybe a little fortunate at the end.”

Del Potro led the tiebreaker 5-2, but double-faulted on set point. Then after serving an ace on match point for Pospisil, he double-faulted again. After an errant forehand from del Potro the next point, it was over.

“I don’t feel frustrated,” del Potro said. “I have to take the positive things on my comeback. Just playing another [major ATP] match after one year, it’s a good signal for the future. …It’s only one match, but it was enough for the beginning.”

Del Potro said he fell into depression in the past year due to his injury, and that moving forward, “it’s most important to be patient and stay calm and try to be positive.”

Del Potro, currently ranked No. 616 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, played just four tournaments in 2014 before undergoing left wrist surgery last March. He kicked off 2015 by reaching the quarter-finals at the Apia International Sydney (l. to Kukushkin) before going back under the knife for yet another wrist procedure.

"I got depressed for a while in the past," he admitted. "In the end, I want to play tennis. If I have to learn a different backhand to keep playing, I will do it. I think is the biggest goal for me is to keep trying and stay mentally strong enough to go through all of the injuries."

While there is no doubt the 26 year old was relieved to be back on the court, his fans may have been even more excited to see the Tandil native in competition. Buoyed by the crowd support in Miami, del Potro was left hungry for more.

"Argentinian fans, South American people come to watch me play here once again. And also here in the United States, I have a lot of fans after winning the US Open. It was great for me enjoying with the crowd for a little bit. It's only one match, but it was enough for the beginning."


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