'I felt I had lost everything against Roger Federer' - Del Potro recalls 2012 Olympics epic
Juan Martin del Potro has spent a large part of his career in the shadow of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Tipped as one of the few players that could break the hegemony of tennis' fabled 'Big 3', the Argentine has seen his career heavily sidelined due to injury.
Del Potro did, however, have some memorable encounters with the trio, including his first and only Grand Slam victory at the US Open 2009. He prevailed straight-setted Rafael Nadal in the semifinal and then prevailed over Roger Federer in an epic five-set final.
The Argentine recently reminisced about some of the favorite moments of his career, and it is no surprise that most of them involve Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Incidentally, they all came at the Olympics.
Roger Federer was happy for my bronze medal showing at the London Olympics: Del Potro
Del Potro spoke to ITF about his journey with his country Argentina during the course of two Olympic Games, and in particular his semifinal meeting with Roger Federer during the 2012 edition.
"A historic match," reminisced Del Potro. "I thought that was my last chance to win a medal, that it could be my only opportunity. I was devastated after losing that match."
That match against Roger Federer is the longest three-set match in the history of tennis, lasting a total time of four hours and 26 minutes. Del Potro took the the first set before losing a tiebreaker in the second. The deciding set ran for 36 games before the Argentine conceded defeat to Roger Federer 6-3 6-7 (5) 17-19.
After the marathon match against Roger Federer, Del Potro had to face Novak Djokovic the very next day for the bronze medal playoff. Del Potro went into the contest with very few expectations, and that, according to him, is the reason why he managed to prevail in straight sets against the Serb.
"The next day I was set to play Novak Djokovic for the bronze medal; I thought I had no hope," said Del Potro. "That night I couldn't sleep, I cried. But when I woke up I felt ready to play, because I had nothing to lose."
"I felt I had lost everything against Federer, but I won the match and the bronze medal," the 31-year-old added with immense pride.
Del Potro even spoke about Roger Federer's reaction upon seeing him on the podium after his own final defeat to Andy Murray.
"Roger Federer asked: ‘What happened? What are you doing here?," recounted the Argentine. "And I told him I’d won. He said: ‘I’m so happy for you, I’m really glad, after our match. How wonderful!’ That is my most vivid memory from London."
One of the best weeks of my career: Del Potro on Rio 2016
After a memorable showing in London in 2012, Del Potro was able to do even better at Rio 2016. He defeated World No. 1 and overwhelming favorite Novak Djokovic once again, in the first round itself.
"Nobody wanted to tell me that I had Djokovic in the first round," said Del Potro. "He was the big favorite to win the gold medal. When they told me, I immediately went to eat a hamburger and ice-cream because I figured I had no chance!"
The Argentine defeated Novak Djokovic in what he called one of the best matches of his career. Del Potro then went on to defeat Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, overturning a one-set deficit to win 5-7 6-4 7-6(5), before succumbing to Andy Murray in the final.
"I’ve already won silver, that's good enough for me," said Del Potro. "That turned out to be one of the best weeks of my tennis career."
"I'll always remember it, because I not only beat Djokovic, but also Nadal in the semi-finals to reach the final, and, well, I ended up winning silver, which was an epic moment. For me, the Olympic Games are unforgettable."