Del Potro: Did His Injury Make Him a Better Player?

Juan Martin’s two hander is finally back. It looks like the Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro has an opportunity to win a major again — and that could be because of his weakest shot. The way he played his way back into contention at the highest levels of the tour may have improved his overall game. Back in 2009, at just 20 years old, he won the US Open. He crushed an injured Rafa Nadal in the semis, and in the final, he out hit Roger Federer in five sets. Then, it looked like soon enough, he would become No. 1. That of course didn’t happen because of the injuries that started in 2010. First it was his right wrist. He had to stop for months to get surgery. Then he came back, and this time it was his left wrist. He had to have surgery on it as well–three times. A few doctors said that he might not play tennis again. But Del Potro pressed on. In 2016, he came back onto the ATP Tour – or most of him did. His old backhand still wasn’t there. During his early 20s, he could hit his two-handed backhand with spin and speed, no problem. Comeback Slice But in the early stages of…