Players Under the Microscope / Simon Mundie / 09 October 2008 /

Andy Murray's old foe has been sensational since Wimbledon and could be a real threat to the "Big Four" in 2009, says Simon Mundie.

Every so often in men's tennis, players with promise suddenly break through in dramatic fashion. Think of Pete Sampras winning the US Open and the Grand Slam Cup in 1990, or Andre Agassi soaring to number 3 in the world two years previously on the back of two Grand Slam semi-finals. Over the last few months, we have seen another player rise in meteoric fashion: Juan Martin Del Potro. The 6ft 6 inch Argentine was ranked just 81st in the world as recently as April, and yet in the latest rankings he's up to 9th.

His form since defeat in the second round of Wimbledon has been nothing short of incredible. He won 4 straight tournaments; in Stuttgart, Kitzbuhel, Los Angeles and Washington and posted his best Grand Slam showing to date with a quarter final place at the US Open, where he finally came unstuck against his old foe Andy Murray in five gruelling sets. But it didn't end there; he saved two of his best performances of the year for the Davis Cup semi-final with Russia, destroying both in-form Igor Andreev and world number six Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets on clay, not his favourite surface.

Del Potro then set off for Tokyo, advancing to yet another final where, hampered by a stomach problem, he finally ran out of steam, beaten by Thomas Berdych. If he continues this run he's a shoe-in for the Masters Cup, and a real threat to the so-called 'Big Four' in 2009.

He's certainly developed the winning habit over the last few months, but he may well have been helped by the fact that 2008 is an Olympic year. While the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were plying their trade in Beijing, Del Potro began his winning streak without having to worry about coming up against the titans of the men's game. In winning his first three tournaments, he only beat two players ranked within the top twenty- the notoriously flaky Richard Gasquet and Andy Roddick. His impressive win over the Nebraskan was the result that really made everyone sit up and take notice, but by then he was well and truly in the groove. Had he had to face some of the top guys who were trying to win medals, would he have got on such an impressive roll in the first place? Possibly not, but the breakthrough would certainly have come sooner or later.

So where has this startling rise come from, and how far can he go? Del Potro has been talked about as a potential world beater for a couple of years. Firstly, he moves incredibly well for a tall man, thanks in part to a low centre of gravity and quick reactions. He hits his groundstrokes flat and early, particularly off the backhand side, which is undoubtedly one of the biggest weapons in the game. He can volley well, helped by his vast wingspan, and isn't afraid to come forward and attack when the opportunity presents itself. His serve is not the weapon one might expect of a man of his stature, shown by the fact that he's only hit 228 aces so far this year, although the improvements he has made in this one area is certainly part of the reason for his overall improvement.

And then there's the swagger; he carries himself like Boris Becker in the way he struts around the court, and that aura will win him more and more matches before he has even set foot upon the court as his career develops.

There is no doubt that Del Potro has what it takes to win Grand Slam titles, and several of them. Of the up and coming young players, his future seems to be the brightest, and it would be no surprise if he won a Grand Slam title in 2009. His powerful yet consistent game is tailor made for the way most of the men play the tour these days, and if he could add a bit of zip to his serve, he could be the next man to dominate the men's game.

Once the Federer era is truly over, Del Potro could even jump straight to the head of the queue, overtaking Nadal. The Spaniard currently holds a three-nil head to head record over the lanky Argentine, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the younger man started to even things up. Tennis is a game of match ups, and Nadal's strength, the heavily topspun crosscourt forehand, plays straight into Del Potro's strength - that devastating backhand. A contest on hard courts between the current world number one and the newest addition to the top 10 would make for fascinating viewing, and could confirm that Juan Martin Del Potro is going to be challenging for big titles for years to come.

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