Redemption awaits for Del Potro and Djokovic

Two firm friends. Two divergent career paths. Two stories of resolve, recovery, and rediscovery, and two players approaching vintage form. Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro’s Sunday showdown in New York has it all – but only one can claim another US Open title.

Del Potro, the 2009 champion, and Djokovic, winner in 2011 and 2015, speak of each other with reverence and speak of the title in philosophical terms, framing their runs to the final as reward enough. But the competitive urges run deep for both men, perhaps more now than ever, given the relative depths both have risen from in 2018.

Lucky to still be standing on court at all

For Djokovic, a career laden with titles and riches took a sharp turn in 2016 that took everyone by surprise, most notably the man himself. Exhaustion, apathy, injury and changes within his team seemed to have suddenly derailed his quest to catch Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam trophy haul. But after his 13-month title drought ended at Wimbledon, the 31-year-old has the chance to draw level with his boyhood hero, Pete Sampras, by winning a 14th Grand Slam title.

The man standing in his way counts himself lucky to still be standing on court at all. Djokovic’s two years of turmoil pales in comparison with Del Potro’s injury-laden odyssey. No sooner had he broken through on that same court in 2009, hammering devastating forehands past Nadal and Federer in succession to claim the US Open title, than he was laid low by issues in his wrists, denying him the chance to defend his title a year later.

Surgery after demoralising surgery followed for the Argentine, but having come close to giving up on a comeback he has revived his career, becoming one of the great feel-good stories in tennis in recent times in the process. Now, back in New York, Delpo has the chance to bookend this lengthy chapter of his career with the perfect ending. And while he knows just how hard it will be to truly turn the page against Djokovic, at least he has regained control of the narrative.

What the numbers say

"I cannot believe that I will have a chance to play another Grand Slam final here, which is my favourite tournament," said Del Potro. From him, such a sentiment seems anything but trite. “The worst moment was in 2015 when I was close to quitting this sport because I couldn't find a way to fix my wrist problems. I had been suffering a lot. I got depressed for a couple of months also. I didn't get the chance to feel better with myself, to do this again. That was the bad moment for me.

“But I think that is completely in the past, and now I'm looking forward for the future. I didn't expect to get these kinds of emotions playing tennis again. Reaching finals, winning titles, having my highest ranking ever in this moment. Everything is almost perfect.”

A second US Open title, removing the unwarranted ‘one-slam-wonder’ tag from his name, should be enough for Del Potro to drop the ‘almost’.

Trying to be the best he can be

What do the numbers say ahead of the final? Advantage, Djokovic. The Serbian enters the match with a 14-4 record against Del Potro, including four unanswered wins from their quartet of Grand Slam showdowns, including two in New York. He’s a two-time US Open champion contesting his eighth final, and unlike his last final appearance in 2016 – he missed the 2017 tournament while taking time off from the tour – he is once again fit and fully motivated.

“As thousands of other tennis players around the world, I’m trying to be the best I can be,” Djokovic said immediately after beating Nishikori in the semi-finals. “I’m working hard every day, as hard as anyone else, and obviously I’m trying to reach certain heights that I visualise. Every time I achieve something big I feel there is a new mountain peak to conquer. I don’t see any limits or an end around the corner.”

Always a top-five player

But there is hope for Del Potro, in the form of a sterling 2018 season. In March, hot on the heels of a hard-court triumph in Acapulco, he claimed his biggest title since 2009, beating Federer to win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. A semi-final run at Roland-Garros was followed by a quarter-final surge at Wimbledon, where he played his part in the leading contender for men’s match of the year, a five-set blockbuster edged by Nadal in five.

“I personally like him very much, not just as a player but as a person,” Djokovic said of Del Potro. “He is a dear friend, someone that I respect a lot. We all felt for his struggles with injuries that kept him away from the tour for two, three years.

“But he was always a top-five player in the eyes, I think, of everyone. Even when he dropped his ranking and started to work his way up, we all knew that he has a capacity and a quality to get to the point where he is at the moment. It was just a matter of time. He's a big-match player. He's a Grand Slam winner. He's playing the tennis of his life, without a doubt, in the past 15 months.”

Two close friends

As if to underline just how far Del Potro has come, his ranking – as low as No.1042 in 2016 – rose to a new career high of No.3 on the eve of the US Open. By reaching the final New York, he has contested more Grand Slam matches in a single season than ever before. And it is the dominant manner with which he has reached the final, playing just 18 sets (dropping one against John Isner and playing just two against the injured Nadal in the semis) and spending little more than 14 hours on court, that should pay dividends against Djokovic, though he is in no doubt about the enormity of the task at hand.

“Well, it will be a difficult match because we are close friends,” he said. “For sure we both want to win. But Novak has won Wimbledon already. He's playing so good. He will be the favourite to win on Sunday.

“It will be special to me. A big challenge, as well, because I've been fighting with many, many problems to get to this moment. It will be a difficult match, of course. But I think I've been doing a good tournament. And in the finals, anything can happen. If I win, great. If not, I've been playing a great tournament and I will be happy anyway.”