Juan Martin del Potro is a professional Argentinian tennis player who was born on September 23, 1988, in Tandil, Argentina. Growing up in a sporting family, Del Potro started tennis at the age of seven, paving the way for a glittering career that would take him to dizzying heights on the Tour.
After several deep runs at the ATP Challenger and ITF levels, the Argentine officially became a pro in 2005, making his full ATP debut the following season in Vina del Mar. As is normally the case, he initially found wins hard to come by, coming second in many first-round matches, including his Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros.
After a couple of seasons he spent adjusting to life on the main circuit, the Argentine made sure to get his name amongst the winners in 2008. First at the Stuttgart Open, then at the Kitzbuhel Open the following week, in Los Angeles a couple of weeks later before hopping across the States to the Citi Open Washington to win in the next week, made sure he flew up the rankings and got his first four ATP titles under his belt after having what was a more-than memorable month.
As was the next logical step, another title came in early 2009. Del Potro did not stop there, though, and won his first Grand Slam at the US Open of that same season, achieving his childhood dream of winning a title at that level. Despite not being able to replicate that feat for the rest of his career, the following seasons brought him numerous titles more, with him mopping up trophies wherever he set foot on a tennis court.
The Argentine’s successes did not stop there, with him reaching his best rounds at Wimbledon and the French Open in 2013 and 2018, respectively (semifinal). An appearance at the Roland Garros semifinal was certainly a result that played a significant part in him earning his career-high ranking of world number 3.
His accolades were not restricted to the ATP Tour either, with Del Potro winning the Davis Cup in 2016 and claiming an Olympic silver medal for his country that same year. An injury-plagued last few seasons marked the end of a dazzling career for the South American.
In and out of surgeries, he never fully managed to find his best level again, and the tennis world officially said ‘adiós’ to a true legend of the sport in 2022. He remains a true fan favorite wherever you go thanks to his passion and ‘gentle-giant’ persona, which radiated to everyone who came into contact with him.
