Indian Wells — An emotional Juan Martin del Potro could barely believe he had finally won a Masters 1000 series title at the 51st attempt on Sunday, but is determined to keep the trophies coming in his late career renaissance.
The tall Argentinian with a rocket forehand has endured years of injury-induced heartbreak but on Sunday was back at the very top of his game, beating no less than Roger Federer in an enthralling Indian Wells final.
"It’s so big," Del Potro said. "I cannot believe I won this tournament, beating Roger in a great final. I’m No6 in the world, I think? And I’m excited to keep working… I just want to keep winning titles like this if I can.
"I was close to quitting tennis because I had three surgeries on my wrist and I couldn’t fix the problem. But thank God I’m here and healthy, and I’m playing tennis again. I’m doing this because I love it," said the 29-year-old.
Del Potro has regained form over the past two seasons but although he entered Sunday’s final on a 10-match winning streak, he was still inevitably playing underdog to Swiss world No1 Federer.
Reuters