Juan Martin del Potro has three times come within a match of winning his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. The likeable Argentine reached the final at 2009 Coupe Rogers, 2013 BNP Paribas Open and 2013 Shanghai Rolex Masters. He spoke to ATPWorldTour.com about his favourite Masters 1000 tournament, the time he met the Pope in Rome and which Masters 1000 event he'd like to win the most. Which Masters 1000 host city is your favourite and why? I like the Shanghai Rolex Masters. It's pretty far but I think it's a great tournament. The stadium is different and great. The food is amazing. We have great facilities, and I always like to play in Shanghai. You reached the...
Juan Martin del Potro and NextGenATP Korean Hyeon Chung advance on Monday at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in China. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Getty Images photo.
The 2013 Shanghai Rolex Masters finalist got off to a good start in his campaign to make another deep run, as Juan Martin del Potro battled past a tough Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in just under two hours. After a 23-minute opening set, it appeared that the No. 16 seed would have few problems with the Georgian qualifier. But that turned around quickly, and as the Argentine served at 4-4 in the third set, it was Basilashvili who had four break points to serve for the match. But del Potro managed to stave off each of his opponent’s opportunities, and after missing out on two match points in the next game, he converted on his third to clinch the...
Two former Shanghai Rolex Masters finalists will get their 2017 campaigns underway in China on Monday. Juan Martin del Potro, the No. 16 seed, returns to Shanghai facing a first-round encounter against qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili. Del Potro, who beat Rafael Nadal on his way to the 2013 final, has a tough opponent in the 25-year-old Georgian, who reached the final in Memphis earlier this season. The ninth seed, Roberto Bautista Agut, who upset then-No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route to last year’s final in Shanghai, will begin his attempt at a repeat run when he plays #NextGenATP Hyeon Chung. The Spaniard, who lost in his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final last year against Andy Murray, is seeking his...
