Over the years, the 78×36 feet of the tennis court have given birth to several rivalries. While some rivalries have come and gone like the wind, others have made their mark in the rich history of the sport. One such rivalry is that of Juan Martin Del Potro and Roger Federer.
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During their decade-long rivalry, the two gave the tennis world some of the most cherished matches. Leading the list is their 2009 US Open finals clash. While Del Potro is no longer active on the tour, he continues to celebrate his rivalry with the Swiss master. Recently, he went back in time to recall a nearly impossible shot he played against Federer in the 2009 US Open finals.
The ultimate winner of Juan Martin Del Potro
Going back to 2009, Federer and Del Potro were two of the most upscaled players during that time. Heading to the US Open, the two looked in their best possible shape. While the top-seeded Federer entered the tournament with a win at Cincinnati, the 6th seeded Del Potro, on the other hand, had captured the Washington title.
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Sailing over their opponents, the two were in the finals under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Showing off his skills, Federer took an early 2 sets to 1 lead in the match. However, despite being behind, Del Potro looked in no mood to go home without the trophy. Leading 3-2 in the fourth set, Del Potro started the game with a strong serve on the ‘T’.
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Indulging in a 17-shot intense rally, the urge to win the point made Federer hit a down the liner on the 18th shot to approach the net. However, little did he know that Del Potro had anticipated the shot. Receiving a strong backhand down the line from Del Potro forced Federer to somehow manage to drop the ball near the net.
While Federer took the ball in an uncomfortable position, that wasn’t the case with Del Potro. Running towards the ball, Del Potro made no mistake in hitting a controlled topspin to hit the ball far away from Federer at the baseline.
The shot not only left Del Potro celebrating but also made the fans stand up from their seats to cheer for the Argentinian. Recalling the iconic moment, Del Potro took to his Instagram, sharing the above video in his story.
The rivalry between Del Potro and Federer
With shots like these, Del Potro went on to win his only Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open. The final was undoubtedly one of the best matches between the two. However, as mentioned earlier, the two gave several matches to the tennis world to cherish.
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In their illustrious careers, the two faced each other a total of 25 times. Out of the 25 meetings, 20 of them took place on hard courts, 3 on clay, and 2 on grass. Being the dominant one, Federer leads the head-to-head race with a huge margin of 18-7. However, despite the huge margin in the race, the two have undoubtedly been part of some nail-biting face-offs.