HOME PAGE

TODAY'S PAPER

VIDEO

MOST POPULAR

U.S. Edition
Search All NYTimes.com

Log In Register Now Help

Tennis
WORLD U.S. N.Y. / REGION BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE HEALTH SPORTS OPINION ARTS STYLE TRAVEL JOBS REAL ESTATE AUTOS BASEBALL N.F.L. COLLEGE FOOTBALL N.B.A. COLLEGE BASKETBALL HOCKEY SOCCER GOLF TENNIS INTERNATIONAL SPORTS TENNIS TICKETS

SPECIAL REPORT: ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

Del Potro's Right Hand Rocks the Stars

Log in to see what your friends are sharing Log In With Facebook on nytimes.com. Privacy Policy | Whats This?

Whats Popular Now

Finding Life After Academia and Not Feeling Bad About It Panel Warns of Risks to Food Supply From Climate Change

Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Juan Martn del Potro, ranked No.5 in the world, is the only man to have beaten Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer this season.
By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY Published: November 1, 2013

Buy Sports Tickets

Nov 3, 2013 Sun 2:30PM MLS Eastern Conference Semifinals: New York Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo BBVA Compass Stadium Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans Reliant Stadium LosAngeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Toyota Center - TX Extreme Meltdown Houston Motorsports Park Chris Evert Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic Delray Beach Tennis Center Buy

Alexandr Dolgopolov, the right-handed Ukrainian with no major titles and fluctuating intensity, and Rafael Nadal, the left-handed Spanish great whose inner flame seems to be set permanently to full burn, are very different tennis players and competitors.
Related
Federer or Nadal? (November 2, 2013) Tennis Looks to Mix It Up to Ensure an Entertaining Future (November 2, 2013)

FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ SAVE Nov 7, 2013 Thu 8:30PM Nov 9, 2013 Sat 4:00PM Nov 16, 2013 Sat 11:00AM Nov 3, 2013 Sun 7:30PM

Buy Buy Buy Buy

But they shared the same reaction this autumn in Asia when confronted with the cruel beauty of a Juan Martn del Potro forehand winner from an unexpected angle.

E-MAIL SHARE PRINT REPRINTS

TicketNetwork is a resale marketplace and is not a box office or venue.

Men's Tennis
Scoreboard Results/Schedule Money Leaders

Women's Tennis
Scoreboard Results/Schedule Money Leaders

Dolgopolov was playing the big Argentine in the Tokyo quarterfinals; Nadal in the semifinals in Shanghai. As del Potro unloaded on the stretch as only del Potro can, both men jerked their heads back on the run in disbelief at the result. It is one thing to elicit a collective gasp from a crowd full of enthusiastic amateurs; quite another to earn shock and awe from fellow professionals for whom flashy winners are

MOST E-MAILED

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

1. No Morsel Too Minuscule for AllConsuming N.S.A. 2. At Los Angeles International Airport, Two Lives Collide in a Fatal Instant 3. Security Agent Is Killed at Los Angeles Airport 4. A Goalkeepers Revenge: Stoke Citys Begovic Scores Goal 5. Snowden Asks U.S. to Stop Treating Him Like a Traitor
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

the coin of the realm. But the del Potro forehand has the force and consistent depth to rock just about anyones world, and it is the shot that could disrupt the leadership of mens tennis, both at the ATP

World Tour Finals next week in London, where del Potro once reached the final, and beyond. To me, next year is the year, said Brad Gilbert, the former top-10 player who has since coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. If were going to see Delpo make his move, its next year, because to me theres no reason he shouldnt ascend into the top 4, top 3, winning a major. Del Potro won a major at the 2009 United States Open, routing Nadal in the semifinals and then coming back to beat Roger Federer to take the title. By January 2010, he was No.4 in the world at age 20 but wrist surgery and the rise of Murray and Novak Djokovic to join Nadal and Federer in the oligarchy created a barrier to trading up to his former place. He is back on the brink now, ranked No.5 and having won two of his last three tournaments with the loss coming in a terrific three-setter in Shanghai to Djokovic that was a condensed version of their classic five-setter in this years Wimbledon semifinals, in which Djokovic also prevailed after great effort. But del Potro is still the only man to have beaten Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and Federer this season and his 6-2, 6-4 dismantling of Nadal in the Shanghai semifinals was a particularly convincing display with the forehand inflicting much of the damage. Nadals whipping forehand remains the more versatile, consistent weapon and at this stage is still the most feared groundstroke in the game. But del Potros is the bigger forehand able to explode crosscourt or down the line as he extends and it is not as if he is swinging with all the might in his 6-foot-6, or 1.98-meter frame. Hes got really nice timing, nice long swings, and really generates a lot of speed without taking what I would call a violent swing at it, Gilbert said. Fernando Gonzlez would hit it unbelievably big, but he would look like he would come out of his shoes. At his height, del Potro has long levers with which to produce power, but there are a lot of tall men in elite tennis today and nothing quite like the del Potro forehand. He makes contact with the ball relatively far away from his body, which means he has a bigger swing arc, said Rob Koenig, the former South African player who is now one of the busiest commentators in the sport. Coupled with that, his arm is almost dead straight when he makes contact with the ball. Only he and Roger are similar in that department because he has a semi-western grip. The more western the grip, the harder it is to keep the elbow and arm fully extended on contact. Youll hit more spin but wont generate more power. In March, John Yandell, a Yale-educated tennis coach and analyst, calculated that Nadals forehand averaged 3,300 revolutions per minute while del Potros averaged just 2,000. His ball is flatter, and your first thought seeing an Argentine is you think of them having the heavy spin, Gilbert said. But his game is not typical South American. That is partly because del Potro grew up playing on hard courts in the provincial city of Tandil instead of the clay courts of Buenos Aires. But he will be in London for the next few days, and based on current form and forehand, no one will want to play him. Perhaps not next year either.
A version of this article appears in print on November 2, 2013, in The International New York Times.
SAVE E-MAIL SHARE

Like a Traitor 6. EDUCATION LIFE The Repurposed Ph.D. 7 . 2 Democrats Split on Tactics to Fight Military Sex Assaults 8. Climate Change Seen Posing Risk to Food Supplies 9. Republican Rivalry Simmers as Paths and Styles Diverge 10. Welcomed With Kisses, Stanford Freshmen Risk the Kissing Disease
Log in to discover more articles based on what youve read.
Whats This? | Dont Show

When insurers drop policies: Three stories

ALSO IN BUSINESS

Automakers post double-digit U.S. sales gains Serious danger of blood clots halts sale of leukemia drug

Ads by Google

what's this?

Vanderbilt Tennis Club

And Fitness Center / Hitting Lanes In Grand Central Terminal - NYC

www.vanderbilttennisclub.com

T ry unlimited access to NYTimes.com for just 99. SEE OPTIONS

Get Free E-mail Alerts on These Topics del Potro, Juan Martin Nadal, Rafael

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

Djokovic, Novak Ads by Google

Murray , Andy what's this?

How Much is My Car Worth?

Get Your Car's Value in 60 Seconds! We BuyAny Car From $50 to $100,000

webuyanycar.com/how-much-car-worth

INSIDE NYTIMES.COM
THEATER SUNDAY REVIEW FASHION & STYLE SUNDAY REVIEW SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW ARTS

Editorial: A Victory Against Dark Money

California has imposed $16 million in penalties and fines in a case that shows the importance of laws requiring the Writing By tes disclosure of political donations.
Terms of Sale Terms of Service Work With Us RSS Help

Changing Her Game: Actress to Author

Opinion: Where Mental Asy lums Live On

Site Map Privacy

Weddings & Celebrations

Strips and Stones

2013 The New York Times Company

Your Ad Choices

Advertise

Contact Us

Site Feedback

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com