Del Potro's near misses

[helterskelter]

How strong is Juan Martin Del Potro mentally? I'm concerned about it.

He's now lost three Masters 1000 finals. That's nothing to be ashamed of, especially considering the opponents were Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic. But he was within a game of winning two of those matches and he was a set and a break up in the other one.

He also lost in 5 sets in the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open this year, and was a game away from winning the US Open match.

And he was a game (in fact, a point) away from winning the Cincy semi-final, before losing that too.

This is starting to become a worrying trend.

 

[FreeBird]

How strong is Juan Martin Del Potro mentally? I'm concerned about it.

He's now lost three Masters 1000 finals. That's nothing to be ashamed of, especially considering the opponents were Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic. But he was within a game of winning two of those matches and he was a set and a break up in the other one.

He also lost in 5 sets in the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open this year, and was a game away from winning the US Open match.

And he was a game (in fact, a point) away from winning the Cincy semi-final, before losing that too.

This is starting to become a worrying trend.

JMDP is the 2nd best mentally strong player after Ralphito currently. He will get over it. He has faced worse phases in his tennis career.

 

[Warmaster]

I'd say very strong. He's usually very clutch, especially when defending breakpoints.

If anything, his mental strength kept him in that match against Djokovic.

 

[veroniquem]

The match was very, very close. Sometimes it comes down to a bit of luck. Delpo edged out their IW encounter, Djoko edged out the Shanghai one. There is not much between the 2. I feel like Delpo could have won that match.
In best of 5, there may be an added stamina/fitness factor for Delpo's falling short though.

 

[Amelie Mauresmo]

How strong is Juan Martin Del Potro mentally? I'm concerned about it.

He's now lost three Masters 1000 finals. That's nothing to be ashamed of, especially considering the opponents were Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic. But he was within a game of winning two of those matches and he was a set and a break up in the other one.

He also lost in 5 sets in the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open this year, and was a game away from winning the US Open match.

And he was a game (in fact, a point) away from winning the Cincy semi-final, before losing that too.

This is starting to become a worrying trend.

This is the knock against Del Potro he's a very talented player BUT I think he struggles with the mental toughness and the consistency.

Del Potro clearly has the game to win another slam BUT he isn't consistent as the top 3 guys.

The Indian Wells event was good for Del Potro to beat Murray and Djokovic was impressive. However, choking against Nadal up a set and 3-1 he couldn't hang on and lost. Same thing in Shanghai, beats Nadal yet finds a way to lose to Djokovic.

The story of Del Potro's career is he is CLOSE to GREATNESS and yet he just can't seem to cross the finish line.

 

[Tenez101]

Delpo is one of the mentally strongest players on tour. He's always so clutch on the big points. Ultimately, it's his physical fitness which has failed him in close/long matches. Once he gets that together, he will easily be in the top 4 and a slam contender.

 

[3fees]

Congrats to Delpo 2nd place is a win too..

 

[Amelie Mauresmo]

Delpo is one of the mentally strongest players on tour. He's always so clutch on the big points. Ultimately, it's his physical fitness which has failed him in close/long matches. Once he gets that together, he will easily be in the top 4 and a slam contender.

Then Del Potro needs to work on his physical fitness that's something he can correct. The guy has the money he needs a better fitness trainer. He does seem to get tired he got very tired against Jeremy Chardy and against Lleyton Hewitt. He always looks like he is going to fall over he has a hang dog look on the court.

 

[illusions30]

Del Potro still cant win a freaking Masters, and his fans are/were talking about him winning more slams (best of 5 is way harder for him these days than best of 3s which he still isnt even winning any of) and being #1. I was rooting for him to the final and it was painful to see him yet again fall short of even winning a Masters title; but the one good thing about his loss is it should quiet some of the typical overjumping on the bandwagon of nonsense after merely 1 good win, just like every once every 6 months good win Del Potro has had since 2009 on MTF.

 

[Crose]

Del Potro still cant win a freaking Masters, and his fans are/were talking about him winning more slams (best of 5 is way harder for him these days than best of 3s which he still isnt even winning any of) and being #1. I was rooting for him to the final and it was painful to see him yet again fall short of even winning a Masters title; but the one good thing about his loss is it should quiet some of the typical overjumping on the bandwagon of nonsense after merely 1 good win, just like every once every 6 months good win Del Potro has had since 2009 on MTF.

Dude it's not that easy when you have to deal with pretty much 2 of either Nadal, Djokovic or Murray to win a masters or slam. Two of those guys are on opposite ends of every draw and they're so good that they're almost always at the ends of those tournaments..do you understand how tough it is to beat 2 of the big 3 in a row?

 

[jhhachamp]

Congrats to Delpo 2nd place is a win too..

No it is not. It is a good result, but in no way is it a win.

 

[Mainad]

One thing I can't help notice is how well-liked Del Potro is on here. He is so well-liked that no-one gives him a hard time whenever he comes up short yet again in a big final.

Whenever the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and especially Murray ever come up short, their haters practically fall over themselves on here with joy. Take for instance the 'Poor Murray got destroyed again' thread which gets resurrected with glee whenever he loses a match. No equivalent of that for Delpo. Just plenty of pats on the back and well-dones and better lucks next time. It's quite remarkable.

Win or lose (and its more often than not the latter) he gets plenty of kind and sympathetic comments. He seems to have no haters at all.

The other top guys must really hate him for that!

 

[illusions30]

Dude it's not that easy when you have to deal with pretty much 2 of either Nadal, Djokovic or Murray to win a masters or slam. Two of those guys are on opposite ends of every draw and they're so good that they're almost always at the ends of those tournaments..do you understand how tough it is to beat 2 of the big 3 in a row?

Well I understand more than the crazies who were talking about Del Potro winning more slams and most hilarious of all taking the #1 ranking next year (which is 200 times harder in this era than just winning 1 mere Masters, which he still cant even do).

 

[illusions30]

One thing I can't help notice is how well-liked Del Potro is on here. He is so well-liked that no-one gives him a hard time whenever he comes up short yet again in a big final.

Whenever the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and especially Murray ever come up short, their haters practically fall over themselves on here with joy. Take for instance the 'Poor Murray got destroyed again' thread which gets resurrected with glee whenever he loses a match. No equivalent of that for Delpo. Just plenty of pats on the back and well-dones and better lucks next time. It's quite remarkable.

Win or lose (and its more often than not the latter) he gets plenty of kind and sympathetic comments. He seems to have no haters at all.

The other top guys must really hate him for that!

That is probably why he isnt hated. He isnt a real threat to the big 4 and never was. He has a combined 2 career slam wins over all of them, and the only one he denied anything was Federer in denying him the U.S Open title, when he already had 5 in a row and the slam record at the time anyway.

I would say most hated in order are:

1. Nadal- hated passionately by both Federer and Djokovic fans. Oddly not hated by Murray fans despite that Murray's record vs him is even worse, but Murray's fans dont seem to do the hating thing as much as Federer fans especialy.
2. Djokovic- hated by some Nadal fans, and even some Federer fans.
3. Murray- hated by Federer fans (due to losing head to head for years now, Olympics last year) and even some Djokovic fans.

 

[Mainad]

Dude it's not that easy when you have to deal with pretty much 2 of either Nadal, Djokovic or Murray to win a masters or slam. Two of those guys are on opposite ends of every draw and they're so good that they're almost always at the ends of those tournaments..do you understand how tough it is to beat 2 of the big 3 in a row?

If he can stay fit, Del Potro should have another good chance to finally snag a Masters at Paris-Bercy in 2 weeks time. Djokovic may tank it again to prepare himself for his WTF title defence the following week, Ferrer is struggling and we know that Delpo has already established a nice momentum against Nadal following their Shanghai semi and Paris is indoors which is Rafa's weakest surface. We'll see!

 

[Anti-Fedal]

One thing I can't help notice is how well-liked Del Potro is on here. He is so well-liked that no-one gives him a hard time whenever he comes up short yet again in a big final.

Whenever the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and especially Murray ever come up short, their haters practically fall over themselves on here with joy. Take for instance the 'Poor Murray got destroyed again' thread which gets resurrected with glee whenever he loses a match. No equivalent of that for Delpo. Just plenty of pats on the back and well-dones and better lucks next time. It's quite remarkable.

Win or lose (and its more often than not the latter) he gets plenty of kind and sympathetic comments. He seems to have no haters at all.

The other top guys must really hate him for that!

He is a likeable person due to the fact that he is a gracious in victory and defeat. He has lost some absolutely heartbreaking matches yet always graciously congratulates his opponent with no fake ********. A truly humble champion that could never be an arrogant egomaniac excuse machine like the other high profile ATP athletes. Heck even Federer and Djokovic have spoken of their admiration for him as a human being.

God bless him, I hope he wins many more titles and grand slams.

 

[helterskelter]

Del Potro is certainly a more likable guy than any of the big 4. That's probably a large part of the problem.

 

[Backspin1183]

Delpo is not hated because he's nice but more than that because he was never a big threat to any of the big 4.

Had he been whooping Djokovic or Nadal or Federer in slams and masters, he wouldn't be liked that much by the fanatics of Federer, Nadal and even Djokovic and Murray.

 

[veroniquem]

He has actually (whooped them): Djoko in IW, Rafa in Shanghai (also Miami and USO a few years back), Fed at USO and WTF last year. What he lacks is consistency and since his injury, the belief to get to the finish line after big upsets.

 

[Amelie Mauresmo]

That is probably why he isnt hated. He isnt a real threat to the big 4 and never was. He has a combined 2 career slam wins over all of them, and the only one he denied anything was Federer in denying him the U.S Open title, when he already had 5 in a row and the slam record at the time anyway.

I would say most hated in order are:

1. Nadal- hated passionately by both Federer and Djokovic fans. Oddly not hated by Murray fans despite that Murray's record vs him is even worse, but Murray's fans dont seem to do the hating thing as much as Federer fans especialy.
2. Djokovic- hated by some Nadal fans, and even some Federer fans.
3. Murray- hated by Federer fans (due to losing head to head for years now, Olympics last year) and even some Djokovic fans.

I think you're right people don't see Del Potro as a real threat but the thing is he's probably right now the only player with the REAL chance to really reach the elite group.

I sense Del Potro has a real lack of SELF CONFIDENCE which needs to helped with a sports psychologist, himself or his DAMN coach!

He's got to realize this is his time he's 25 now and he hasn't reached a grand slam final in over FOUR YEARS that's shocking someone with his talent.

He really needs to take tennis MORE SERIOUSLY and stop being Mr. Nice Guy. Del Potro can learn a lot from Robin Soderling and Ernest Gulbis having a bit

of attitude can help a tennis player it shows those top guys you aren't intimidated by them.

Del Potro isn't disciplined enough, I don't know who his fitness trainer is but he needs a lot of help. Juan Martin is unhealthy he's always so sickly looking he always looks tired and exhausted on the court. He really needs to get physically stronger.

The problem with Del Potro is his attitude he's too happy go lucky kind of guy he doesn't have the KILLER INSTINCT. He's far too friendly with Djokovic after losing the Shanghai final. Why the hell was Del Potro laughing and acting all friendly with Novak?

Could it be because Del Potro doesn't deep down inside believe he belongs with the elite?

Del Potro needs a major attitude adjustment I agree with John McEnroe this is pro tennis big money and points are on the line.

I am not saying Del Potro cannot be civil but STOP please STOP acting so friendly with the other top players.

You don't see the top women acting friendly they can't STAND EACH OTHER.

And that's what makes women's tennis more interesting sometimes is the fact the women are honest, it is a WAR on the court NO TIME FOR FRIENDSHIP!!!

Since Del Potro has won the US OPEN he's gone through a lot such as injuries. The guy is very injury prone. I think Del Potro's problem is he's TOO NICE.

I've said this before, if Del Potro had Robin Soderling''s work ethic and attitude he probably would of won a second grand slam right now.

Soderling has reached TWO slam finals he's the only guy outside the big four to have done that and a lot of it has to do with Robin's attitude.

People attack Soderling saying he's a jerk, but Robin had the right attitude he never felt the top players were superior to him and his hatred for Nadal helped fuel him when he destroyed him in Paris in 2009.

 

[underground]

Delpo is great when it comes to mental toughness. It's the physical side that's bothering him.

The only time where he checked out mentally was that SF against Isner in Cinci this year.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved all those MPs to make the match as close as it can be against Djokovic in both SW19 and Shanghai.

I'll give Delpo the excuse of fatigue in IW (come on, Murray, Djoker 3 set back to back and coming again to play Rafa in the next day?! getting a set and a break up is more than decent)

 

[Amelie Mauresmo]

Delpo is great when it comes to mental toughness. It's the physical side that's bothering him.

The only time where he checked out mentally was that SF against Isner in Cinci this year.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved all those MPs to make the match as close as it can be against Djokovic in both SW19 and Shanghai.

I'll give Delpo the excuse of fatigue in IW (come on, Murray, Djoker 3 set back to back and coming again to play Rafa in the next day?! getting a set and a break up is more than decent)

In terms of fitness, Del Potro has gotten tired a lot this year during his loss to Jeremy Chardy at the Australian Open he got tired. Against Lleyton Hewitt at the US OPEN he ran out of gas as well.

He isn't working hard enough on the physical fitness that's something he must improve if he wants to win another slam.

Del Potro doesn't have the KILLER INSTINCT that's the reason why he has not won another grand slam.

He also hasn't even won a Masters title, and I don't think he's winning another slam until he starts winning the Masters.

The best players all have won Masters titles along with multiple slams he hasn't done that yet.

No excuses Del Potro choked against Nadal he got nervous he did the same thing against Isner. I don't think Del Potro is as mentally tough as people claim.

He also is Mr. Nice Guy which is not a sign of mental toughness, he needs to be more selfish have an attitude like Ernest Gulbis or Robin Soderling if he wants to win another slam.