Delpo

Not seeing any threads on this yet, and the media is pretty useless...

How did Del Potro end up losing after being up 2-0? Did he tank or was it due to his knee?

[10is]

Transcript:

Q. Just talk about the match. You got off to the great start, played the good tiebreak, and then looks like the knee started hurting, but then in the fifth set it looks like you moved better. Can you just take me through it.
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, I think anyways I play a great match, even the third and fourth set. He start to play much better than in the beginning of the match and I feel his ball more in the baseline. He put me to run a lot in the third and fourth set.
He made better match than me after the second set. I don't have any chance to win until the first game in the fifth set when I had break point. He play well points and he take the opportunity in the fifth set and he win.

Q. When you called the trainer onto the court, did he give you some painkillers for your knee?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yeah, but was to remove my tape just for be more tight. Nothing special.

Q. Are you saying that your knee did not affect your movement at all after the second set?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No.

Q. No? Because in the fourth set I think he had 13 winners and no unforced errors at that point. Did you feel he was feeling so well there's nothing I can do?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yeah, I feel, like you say, I serve really bad in the fourth set, also. And if I serve bad against Federer or the top guys, you don't have too many chance to win points.
I serve bad in the fourth set, and then in the fifth set he broke me very early to take the advantage. He was playing with more confidence the fifth set than me.
When he had the chance to close the match, he made it.

Q. What do you do now? Will you go to Queen's?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I'm going to rest now.

Q. You may not play Queen's?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I don't know now. I would love to play Queen's. I supposed to play Queen's. I just finish and I don't know what I'm going to do in the next hours, so I can't tell you that.
THE MODERATOR: Spanish questions, please.

Q. Can you analyze the match for us and explain what happened?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, I have not had time to analyze it yet. As I said, I played very well at the beginning. Then he started playing better. I missed a few serves, as my serve was not as good as in the first two sets. Then my game was no longer the same.
During the fifth set, he took the only opportunity I had. I had a break point, but he won it. I think that's when the difference was huge.

Q. You had two first sets which were fantastic. What happened afterwards?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, same thing: it's my serve. I didn't serve well, and this is why I lost intensity in my game. Let me say that again: Federer played much better. I had to make efforts to serve better, and he did everything so that my serve was not as good as I wanted it to be and I couldn't take my chances.
I had opportunities. I missed them; when he had opportunities he won, and that made the difference.

Q. It's more than two years since you last won sets to Federer; you did that. So what can you learn from this match?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, the tournament was a great tournament for me. I'm very happy I made it to this level. I played four Grand Slams, and I'm amongst the eight players in the world who can make it to the final on a great tournament.
So when I win sets, when I win games against big players, against those who have a better ranking than mine, there's always something to learn. There is positive and negative, and I have to work on the negative aspects.

Q. You said you didn't know when you would be back on the courts and where. It's probably a bit early. You have problems with your knee. So were you told you should rest or have you been told you can continue playing?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, after Estoril, I continued playing many matches. I think I'm one of the players who played the largest number of matches this year.
I'm feeling it a bit right now, but I really want to start playing on grass. I want to raise my level on grass. So maybe Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. That's a great motivation for me to continue to work.

Q. We know that you never try and find excuses for a bad match and you always congratulate the winner, but we had the feeling that you were not moving as fast on the court during the fourth and the fifth set. Did you feel pain?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No. What I felt was that Federer was playing his best tennis. As I said, he raised his level; mine started to decrease. We started at the same level. The match was very close. He took my serve on the first set; then I took his back.
During the third and fourth set when his level raised, mine went down. In the fifth set I gave everything I had. I gave him an opportunity, and he took it.

Q. It started raining at one stage. How was the court? Was it a problem for you to play your shots or to move on the court?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, because Federer's shots were slower, as well, so the conditions have an impact on both players. I don't think they had an influence on the quality of the game. The two others are still playing, so they didn't stop because of the rain.
As I said, I gave him an opportunity during the fifth set; he took it.
Good for him.

Q. Did you feel you could win the match at one stage after the end of the second set? Did you start thinking, Okay, this match is going to be for me?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, until the very last ball I thought I could win, even if I was down 5 2 during the fifth set. I have enough experience now and I can come back even when the match is very complicated and we're in the fifth set.
That's why I was never discouraged. Well, I always think that Federer has far more experience than I have and he can win a match more quickly. Against another player I could have won a break and I could have won perhaps, but it was Federer.

[DolgoSantoro]

Props to Juan Martin

[peRFection]

Originally Posted by 10is

Transcript:

Q. Just talk about the match. You got off to the great start, played the good tiebreak, and then looks like the knee started hurting, but then in the fifth set it looks like you moved better. Can you just take me through it.
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, I think anyways I play a great match, even the third and fourth set. He start to play much better than in the beginning of the match and I feel his ball more in the baseline. He put me to run a lot in the third and fourth set.
He made better match than me after the second set. I don't have any chance to win until the first game in the fifth set when I had break point. He play well points and he take the opportunity in the fifth set and he win.

Q. When you called the trainer onto the court, did he give you some painkillers for your knee?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yeah, but was to remove my tape just for be more tight. Nothing special.

Q. Are you saying that your knee did not affect your movement at all after the second set?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No.

Q. No? Because in the fourth set I think he had 13 winners and no unforced errors at that point. Did you feel he was feeling so well there's nothing I can do?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yeah, I feel, like you say, I serve really bad in the fourth set, also. And if I serve bad against Federer or the top guys, you don't have too many chance to win points.
I serve bad in the fourth set, and then in the fifth set he broke me very early to take the advantage. He was playing with more confidence the fifth set than me.
When he had the chance to close the match, he made it.

Q. What do you do now? Will you go to Queen's?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I'm going to rest now.

Q. You may not play Queen's?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I don't know now. I would love to play Queen's. I supposed to play Queen's. I just finish and I don't know what I'm going to do in the next hours, so I can't tell you that.
THE MODERATOR: Spanish questions, please.

Q. Can you analyze the match for us and explain what happened?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, I have not had time to analyze it yet. As I said, I played very well at the beginning. Then he started playing better. I missed a few serves, as my serve was not as good as in the first two sets. Then my game was no longer the same.
During the fifth set, he took the only opportunity I had. I had a break point, but he won it. I think that's when the difference was huge.

Q. You had two first sets which were fantastic. What happened afterwards?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, same thing: it's my serve. I didn't serve well, and this is why I lost intensity in my game. Let me say that again: Federer played much better. I had to make efforts to serve better, and he did everything so that my serve was not as good as I wanted it to be and I couldn't take my chances.
I had opportunities. I missed them; when he had opportunities he won, and that made the difference.

Q. It's more than two years since you last won sets to Federer; you did that. So what can you learn from this match?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, the tournament was a great tournament for me. I'm very happy I made it to this level. I played four Grand Slams, and I'm amongst the eight players in the world who can make it to the final on a great tournament.
So when I win sets, when I win games against big players, against those who have a better ranking than mine, there's always something to learn. There is positive and negative, and I have to work on the negative aspects.

Q. You said you didn't know when you would be back on the courts and where. It's probably a bit early. You have problems with your knee. So were you told you should rest or have you been told you can continue playing?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, after Estoril, I continued playing many matches. I think I'm one of the players who played the largest number of matches this year.
I'm feeling it a bit right now, but I really want to start playing on grass. I want to raise my level on grass. So maybe Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. That's a great motivation for me to continue to work.

Q. We know that you never try and find excuses for a bad match and you always congratulate the winner, but we had the feeling that you were not moving as fast on the court during the fourth and the fifth set. Did you feel pain?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No. What I felt was that Federer was playing his best tennis. As I said, he raised his level; mine started to decrease. We started at the same level. The match was very close. He took my serve on the first set; then I took his back.
During the third and fourth set when his level raised, mine went down. In the fifth set I gave everything I had. I gave him an opportunity, and he took it.

Q. It started raining at one stage. How was the court? Was it a problem for you to play your shots or to move on the court?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, because Federer's shots were slower, as well, so the conditions have an impact on both players. I don't think they had an influence on the quality of the game. The two others are still playing, so they didn't stop because of the rain.
As I said, I gave him an opportunity during the fifth set; he took it.
Good for him.

Q. Did you feel you could win the match at one stage after the end of the second set? Did you start thinking, Okay, this match is going to be for me?
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, until the very last ball I thought I could win, even if I was down 5 2 during the fifth set. I have enough experience now and I can come back even when the match is very complicated and we're in the fifth set.
That's why I was never discouraged. Well, I always think that Federer has far more experience than I have and he can win a match more quickly. Against another player I could have won a break and I could have won perhaps, but it was Federer.

GOAT's effect.......

[Mainad]

Sounds a bit to me like Federer got into his head. Even when he went 2 sets up, it seems he didn't really think he could win. The memory of their previous 4 meetings (all losses for Delpo) must have got to him. Such a pity that he couldn't have focussed more on the 2009 USO final which would have been much more relevant.

Confirmed for me when he said at the end of that interview that if he had been playing anyone other than Federer....!

[mattennis]

Props to him for not giving excuses, but he did not move at all during the fourth set and some patches of the fifth set.

[Smasher08]

I have no doubt that after two sets up he could still remember USO '09.

Fed raised his level and found a way to stop Potsie from swatting bombs. Potsie then couldn't keep up. Fed went from dog mode to god mode. Good luck to Nole.

Very classy presser though. No sour grapes or excuses.

[FlashFlare11]

Del Potro was incredibly gracious in this loss. It was clearly evident that his movement was hampered in the final three sets (especially in the fourth, he would barely move for a shot he could easily put back). For him to not blame it on his knee is incredible.

That's why Juan Martin is one of my favorite players on tour.

[Hood_Man]

It's a shame for Del Potro that after playing 3 best of 3 sets tournaments since the Australian Open he didn't win a single set, but when he finally does win 2 sets it's in a tournament where he still has to win one more to win.

[Polaris]

It's funny: When Delpo explains it, it actually sounds genuine.

When Nadal grumbles about injury and then covers it with, "You should congratulate the winner, no?", it comes across (to me) as fake.

[Talker]

Good answers. True to what happened so he can go to work on what he needs and rest up.

DelPo has little to worry about, he made some strong advances in his game this tournament and isn't down about the loss.

[SLD76]

pure class.

[Don Felder]

Del Po is true class in both victory (ala USO 09) and defeat. I really feel bad for the guy that his body doesn't seem destined to hold up well over the course of his career. His ball striking in USO '09 was just remarkable; I haven't seen that much pure easy power since Safin.

I hope he's being smart with the money he's making.

[marc45]

Originally Posted by Polaris

It's funny: When Delpo explains it, it actually sounds genuine.

When Nadal grumbles about injury and then covers it with, "You should congratulate the winner, no?", it comes across (to me) as fake.

nice slip in..women's equal pay act, does rafa make into that?....north korea's new dictator?

[skip1969]

well, i wasn't sure during the match if he was hurt, or if he was tired . . . but there were long stretches where he hardly moved. i was sure there was something wrong. i was waiting for him to say something during the changeovers . . . to give a clue as to what was ailing him . . . but nothing. he kept his cards to his chest. and with the conditions, too . . . it had to be hard to hit through that court.

but anyways . . . he's a class act for not taking anything away from the man who won the match.

[billnepill]

I am surprised he didn't concede that injury affected his game to an extent. There were moments he hardly moved. Every drop shot Federer hit was successful.

Dunno. Maybe the guy doesn't want to take away from Fed's win who played well himself in last 3 sets.

[The Bawss]

Pure class press conference. Federer did play much better towards the end of the match but maybe conditioning (Del horse had a lot of previous court time) and the knee were nails in the proverbial coffin for Juan.

Still, it was good to see at times that Delpo can still drop monster forehands from time.

[BobFL]

One word - fitness. He just stopped moving at one point.

[billnepill]

If conditioning is to blame and not injury, hats off to Del Potro for not blaming the injury for his loss.

Very refreshing to be honest

[Bobby Jr]

Classy interview by Del Potro. He seems like a nice guy who calls it how it is more often than not.