Every match in a professional tennis player's life is like a scene from a movie. One particular clip might stand out more than others, but ultimately, it's a part of the film. To a player, matches operate the same way: Some are essential and come at crucial moments. The stakes in other matches may not be quite as high, but often still feature tension and drama. Some results linger while others are brushed off and quickly forgotten. There are those that are emotional and leave even the spectators drained. Outcomes are sometimes expected and don't bring the suspense -- until the unexpected happens. For Juan Martin del Potro, the memories are countless. The match stats behind those memories, however, are...
There is no doubt that Juan Martin del Potro will savour this victory for a long time. In the storied history of Argentine tennis, only two players have cemented themselves in the '400 Wins Club': Guillermo Vilas and now Del Potro. The Tandil native etched his name in the record books with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 victory over Milos Raonic on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open. Vilas leads all players from Argentina with 929 victories, but the legend now has some company in the exclusive club. After battling from a set down for a pair of deciding-set victories in the fourth round (d. Mayer) and quarter-finals (d. Kohlschreiber), Del Potro was in no mood for a marathon semi-final. The...
There is no doubting that both Juan Martin del Potro and Milos Raonic have had excellent careers thus far. The Argentine has reached a career-best No. 4 in the ATP Rankings and won 21 tour-level titles while the Canadian has climbed to No. 3 and claimed eight trophies. Del Potro triumphed at the 2009 US Open at age 20, while Raonic made the Wimbledon final two years ago. But neither player has triumphed at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. The pair will battle in the semi-finals at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday to move within one victory of doing just that. And while both men have reached the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings, they were in...
