The Del Po Show

As we approach the start of the U.S. Open next week, I find myself reflecting on a player I have become a big fan of over the course of the last year. Juan Martin Del Potro has steadily grown from a player I saw as just another giant with a huge serve and forehand into a player I find myself actively rooting for. It all started for me during his match at last year's Open when he lost to Djokovic in the quarters. While it was a straight set victory for Novak, I was blown away by the passion, heart and determination on display from Del Potro. He genuinely fought for every ball and every point and the crowd responded by cheering him on and applauding his effort. In the time since then, he has shown time and time again that he will fight for every match and isn't afraid to put his emotions on display. He also has a deceptive game that it takes awhile to appreciate. While he still has a cannon serve and one of the biggest forehands in the game, he also has a great slice backhand and moves incredibly well for someone of his size.

Del Potro could easily have taken some events off after winning in D.C. in order to rest before the U.S. Open. Instead, he showed up at every event, made deep runs and played some of the most entertaining tennis of each event. He has grown on me so much that it hurt to hear about how after he got injured and missed all of 2010, he struggled to deal with it and ended up not doing any tennis related training in that year off. Talk about going from the mountain top (winning '09 Open) to the valley! I am happy to see him gaining ground on the big 4 again and will be glued to any of his matches at the Open that I can see. August 26th can't come soon enough! Who else is rooting for the big guy?