Del Potro

Will he be a one slam wonder? Great player with a howitzer for a forehand. Seems to move well and has an effortless serve.

Thoughts?

I wish that would not be the case.

Fed/Nadal lack of consistency means anybody in the top 20 in my view would fancy their chances, I think Del Po will win a slam next year, lets see.

fed/nadal's lack of consistency?

they have proven to be pretty darn consistent no?

Anyone in the top 20??? seriously???!??!

LuvSports! wrote:fed/nadal's lack of consistency?

they have proven to be pretty darn consistent no?

Anyone in the top 20??? seriously???!??!

OMG, if there is a lack of consistency from Fed/Nadal in 2013 [which i am expecting it to be] then anybody in top 20 fancy their chances, I see a slam winner outside Djokovic/Murray in 2013, so for me it still boils down to Fed/Nadal level of consistency and if it drops then yes DP do have a chance.

I sincerely hope that DP is not a one slam wonder. I truly believe that he has never fully recovered his confidence since his injury. He needs to believe in himself a bit more and Im sure that he could make that break through again whether Fed/Nadal maintain their consistency or no. He has the potential to be a danger to either of them if the DP who won the USO came back on court.

invisiblecoolers wrote:

LuvSports! wrote:fed/nadal's lack of consistency?

they have proven to be pretty darn consistent no?

Anyone in the top 20??? seriously???!??!

OMG, if there is a lack of consistency from Fed/Nadal in 2013 [which i am expecting it to be] then anybody in top 20 fancy their chances, I see a slam winner outside Djokovic/Murray in 2013, so for me it still boils down to Fed/Nadal level of consistency and if it drops then yes DP do have a chance.

Who have you got in mind, that will take two of the Top 4, in a 5 set match?

1) The 29 year old Ferrer who has just won his first Masters?
2) The 26 (or is it now 27) year old Berdy, who hasn't won a Masters for, is it two years?
3) The similar aged Tsonga - who of course is now a cert, because he's got a new coach
4) The multi non Masters one slam wonder of Argentina - who only gets near the Top 4, when Nadal or Fed have an off day (I might end up regretting that comment )

Raonic? 7 rounds of 5 sets match - not yet

Maybe Tipsy, Simon?

The quality of the Top 4 is so immense, that 4 months after he's not played Nadal is still in there and Murray, despite his worst spell outside the majors since around 2007, is firmly in there

Nole and Andy have worked years to get on level terms (at best) with the great two - as we saw today from a misfiring Murray, they ain't going to roll over to the new (or not so new) breed

Del Potro is the real deal, but I do agree with Banbrotam he should have a masters title by now. However, but considering when he was 20 he had been in slam semi in Paris and Masters final in Montreal and US Open champion then final in the World Tour finals, had he not got injured who knows what what would have happened.

What impresses me most about Del Potro is he is fearless, he is the one guy I feel is not afraid of the big 4, sure Berdych and Tsonga have had big wins over them but they played insane tennis and can't back it up in the next round. Once Del Potro has a big win again in a slam, I dont think he will have the same problem, because he doesn't have to play lights out tennis to beat those guys, hes 75 percent is better than Berdych and Tsongas

Del Potro's insanely blistering cross court forehand (plus a pretty decent serve of course) won him the 2009 USO - it was unplayable and then he ended up with wrist surgery. He certainly can take a top player out, but will he have the energy to take out two top players one after the other as he did in 2009 - it's worth noting that one of them,Nadal, had an abdominal strain and wasn't at absolute best. Of course it probably might prove easier in 2013 to demolish Nadal then Fed or vice versa, but could he do the same to Murray and then Djokovic - he will have to be in full command of the blistering forehand over two matches to compensate for inferior movement, and will the wrist break down again after such a feat?

If Rafa is going to spend a while getting back in the groove and if Rog has a less-than-stellar start to 2013 then del Potty is the man who OUGHT to be challenging for a top four spot.
He's had a better year in 2012 than in 2011 but some might think he has still under achieved. Is he really back, even yet, to full fitness? A good O2 week would assist him no end.

I do wish he would .. .. Nothing that a bit of self belief would not cure Im sure. He has what it takes Ive grown to like him so much more than I once did.. So come on DP give it some wellie.

I thought he was back to his best after that first set against rafa in the DC when he played brilliantly, blasting his opponent off the court.
Then rafa did what rafa does but it was still an almighty battle.

sirfredperry wrote:If Rafa is going to spend a while getting back in the groove and if Rog has a less-than-stellar start to 2013 then del Potty is the man who OUGHT to be challenging for a top four spot.
He's had a better year in 2012 than in 2011 but some might think he has still under achieved. Is he really back, even yet, to full fitness? A good O2 week would assist him no end.

Of course he's back to full fitness, i mean the guy's been playing regular tennis for nearly two years and thankfully hasn't had any further problems with that wrist. How long does it take to get back to full fitness?

I think he's a very good player but sadly he's closer to the Berdych's, soderling and Tsonga's of this world than the top four, in terms of movement and consistent execution. On a very good day, combined with an off day for the top four, he can beat them. But if they play at their best, then I don't think he has more than a punchers chance. Just look at all his victories against Fed. In Basel, Fed played at best an average match, and yet DP just squeaked past him. At the USO, Fed played awful for the last three sets and DP won in five. At the WTF '09, Fed had already qualified for the semi and DP still took three sets to beat him. The only times were I felt that Federer played reasonably well (but not top level) was at the OG and FO 09, and he won those. Dp record against the other guys is just as bad. I think his H2H is something like 3-13 (Fed), 3-7 (Rafa), 2-6 (Novak), 0-5? (Murray). That's a combined 8-31 against the top four.

In summary, he is a dangerous opponent, but not, imo, in the same bracket as the top 4, as long as they remain healthy and consistent in form. Furthermore, I don't think he as the allround game or versatility to be in that bracket until Fedal, at least, slide.



emancipator

I agree that it really is time for the is-Del Potro-back-to-full fitness question to be knocked on the head once and for all. I mean .....the guy has won six titles since his 'comeback' so if he's not fit now then we might as well assume he never will be !!

Delpo is without doubt good enough to take out anyone when his forehand is on fire and his overall game is clicking ; but as emancipator points out those occasions have - to date - been few & far between against the top boys. Of all those currently hovering outside the top 4, he would seem the most likely to force his way into the elite group, but until he shows more consistency at the big events the jury really is still out as regards a potential (and lengthy) residence within the very top tier.

There were spells in the Basle Final when I thought that Federer was already into retirement (so poor was his play and UE count) and yet still the much younger Delpo had his work cut out to finish him off .......

I don't think it's so much as his ability being in doubt, I think just a) the top 4's game matches up well against him and b) they all have the mental edge over him when it comes to the crunch. He can definitely beat them and will be a top 4 player again provided he avoids the injuries. Having seen videos of his pre-wrist injury exploits I think the power on his shots has dipped slightly but his movement has improved. He will beat anyone on his day and I reckon there's a couple more majors out there for him.

He seems a very likeable individual - a gentle giant - but goodness he can be tedious to watch at times especially as he is a very slow player between points. The forehand can be blisteringly exciting, but I fall asleep during more of his matches than not.

Didn't see Basel so don't know if he was on scintillating form or whether it was a disappointing final from both men?

I just loved the commentary at the US Open when one of the commentators said about DP.. "he sure does mosey around the court doesn´t he" !!!

He looks so hairy that he has to shave his neck the whole way down, lol.

He is a gentle giant but sometimes has that look in his eye that makes you feel he'd be quite capable of leaving a horses head in your bed if you double crossed him!

I agree..I think he could be a bit of a handful if you happened to say the wrong thing. I just wish he would have a bit more belief in himself..There are times when he looks like he is playing down the local club.

Makes me laugh when I remember him chuntering at Murray at Rome one year about his mother or something.

banbrotam wrote:

invisiblecoolers wrote:

LuvSports! wrote:fed/nadal's lack of consistency?

they have proven to be pretty darn consistent no?

Anyone in the top 20??? seriously???!??!

OMG, if there is a lack of consistency from Fed/Nadal in 2013 [which i am expecting it to be] then anybody in top 20 fancy their chances, I see a slam winner outside Djokovic/Murray in 2013, so for me it still boils down to Fed/Nadal level of consistency and if it drops then yes DP do have a chance.

Who have you got in mind, that will take two of the Top 4, in a 5 set match?

1) The 29 year old Ferrer who has just won his first Masters?
2) The 26 (or is it now 27) year old Berdy, who hasn't won a Masters for, is it two years?
3) The similar aged Tsonga - who of course is now a cert, because he's got a new coach
4) The multi non Masters one slam wonder of Argentina - who only gets near the Top 4, when Nadal or Fed have an off day (I might end up regretting that comment )

Raonic? 7 rounds of 5 sets match - not yet

Maybe Tipsy, Simon?

The quality of the Top 4 is so immense, that 4 months after he's not played Nadal is still in there and Murray, despite his worst spell outside the majors since around 2007, is firmly in there

Nole and Andy have worked years to get on level terms (at best) with the great two - as we saw today from a misfiring Murray, they ain't going to roll over to the new (or not so new) breed

To answer your question, Ferrer was definitely a force on this year's FO and was way better than your Murray, if we had no Fed/Nadal in this years FO, and if Seppi or Tsonga not blunted their chances we could have well seen a new winner and that could have been Ferrer.
Ferrer is more than a force in clay than your beloved Murray, don't mistake me I am not anti-Murray indeed I am a fan of him and I am one of those who believed he will win a slam this year [even before he won] and I am one of those who said he will become the world no.1 and when all most entire forum laughed at my thread , but Murray/Djoko is no Nadal/Fed and DP will have his chance in USO/AO and even in FO if the two invariables of Fed/Nadal taken out of equation.