The day Del Potro won the 2009 US Open
It's September 2009. Juan Martin Del Potro has just made history. A professional since 2005 and already world number 6, he arrives in New York determined.
The Argentine is coming off a prodigious summer. Semi-finalist at Roland-Garros, beaten only by Federer (3-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4), he has just won Washington and played in the final of the Masters 1000 in Canada.
The Argentinian's performance in New York was impressive. Buoyed by a colossal serve and a devastating forehand, the colossus enters the quarter-finals with obvious confidence.
After defeating Marin Cilic (4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1) and then Rafael Nadal (6-2, 6-2, 6-2), he meets Roger Federer in the final. Opposed to a Swiss who is number one in the world and has won the US Open five times in a row (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), he shocked the world.
In one of the best matches of his career, he showed extraordinary resilience to topple a Federer who no one had expected to lose. Coming within a whisker of defeat, he clinched a historic title after a 5-set battle (3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2).
A result that makes us realize even more the player's immense potential and the historic career he could have had if his body had left him a little more alone.
US Open 
