The Tragic Downfall of Juan Martin del Potro 

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"Here I am, with nothing" one of the most heartbreaking quotes I ever had the displeasure of hearing

Del Potro had the 5th highest win percentage on the ATP tour, behind only the big 4, despite constantly being out with injuries. Incredibly talented player who, despite winning a slam, we never saw him realise his full potential.

I remember watching Andy Roddick's last professional game at US Open 2012, a loss to Del Potro. Juan Martin was so gracious after the match, not accepting any glory for himself but wanting all the focus to be on Andy. A true and humble gentleman, the side of him (in addition to that monster forehand) that will always stick with me.

As an Argentinian boy who liked tennis seeing him win the US Open was awesome. It brakes my heart to think what could've been if he stayed healthy during all of his career.

Damn that was very painful to watch. I hope he manages to comeback somehow. Fascinating video as always my man, incredible editing and storytelling!

In an era of legends, he was my favorite player. There's hardly a person in sport that I'd have wished more luck upon. He was an absolute class act who experienced heartbreaking physical setbacks and the tragic financial and personal loss you outlined via his father. Him crying as he started his final service game against Delbonis just broke me. I really hope he finds success and contentment in whatever he does next, I just dread he'll be haunted by what could have been.

This is such a painful video to watch. Though I'm a die hard RAFA fan, I always wanted Delpo to do well because he was a very entertaining on the court and a humble man. Delpo has been a great fighter throughout his painful career. He is an inspiration. Thank You Delpo!!

Watching that 2009 final was what brought me to Tennis and watching him playing past injuries was inspiring, his win on the Davis cup was beutiful and as an Argentinian I won't forget neither of those games in my life.

Buying a soybean farm is not necessarily a crazy venture if you are from Argentina since it's literally one of their main crops and if your family has farming experience. Now if you don't have the know how then obviously that's a bad idea.

That fucking bandana over the net ... god, everytime it makes me cry. No matter what. Such a powerful image

The last guy both Andy Roddick and Marat Safin played on tour. And he was extremely gracious to both.

You're legit my favourite channel on YT these days CULT, you cover so much of the stuff I find interesting in the sport. Delpo is one of those what could have been players, after his 2009 season I was convinced he was going to be the guy to truly challenge Rafa and Fed at the time. In 2013, 2016, and 2018 he still showed he could hang with the big 3 despite his setbacks but ultimately his body didn't cooperate with his incredible game. Watching this has me pre-emptively fearing for Thiem's future as what should be his peak is now plagued with injuries and poor form...I'm worried he's on the path of the Tower of Tandil.

I've loved Delpo, throughout his entire career, has always been one of my favourite players. He's the biggest case of what could have been.

I absolutely ADORED to watch Del Potro play. That forehand was out of this world. Dude seemed like he always putted all the force he had on it, and probably that ´helped´ on what happened with his wrists, but those winners were just incredible. I´ll never forget his retirement words claiming he "just wanted to sleep without any pain". Heartbreaking.

Argie here. I wish I lived in one of the many universes where Delpo never had any injuries, kept winning Grand Slams and reached #1, surpassing Vilas. Te amamos Delpo ❤

i tore my acl playing tennis in october 2021. after surgery and thinking i would be able to go back to playing, i found out i needed a second surgery. i can’t even begin to explain the sympathy i feel for delpo

Everyone loves Juan Martín, and everyone is sad things ended like this.

Del Potro was one of my faves. He would have rocked the tennis world if he had been able to stay healthy.

One of the big "what if" of the sport history. My guy was a beast in his prime. I hope he's goin well 🇦🇷

one of the nicest guy in tennis. hate to see him leave like this. Best of luck to you Delpo!!

Argentina had three incredibly talented players born in the 80s: Coria (1982), Nalbandian (1982) and Delpo (1988). For different reasons*, they didn't end up achieving as much as many had expected. *In general: Coria anxiety, Nalbandian fitness, Delpo injuries.

Last year he visited Latin America's ESPN booth during the US Open and gave a short interview with Jose Luis Clerc. It was heartbreaking to listen to him detail his plan after the 2018 final run, how he knew he had a shot, even if it was just a very slim, extremely short window to push for World #1. He had it all mapped out. And then Shanghai happened, and it ultimately ended his career. I remember he also said it was hard for him to be there because he still felt the court calling for him, he still craved to be out there playing, but his body just couldn't. It also makes me think of Murray and Wawrinka, how these guys traded their bodies and their health for those majors, because of how brutal it was to even hang on with the Big 3 at their peak.

I saw him hitting his forehand in person and it was crazy powerful.... A shame he had so many injuries

I am Argentinian, and I can say that Del Potro is the only not football player who makes me cry of happiness.

Yes he had injuries but it was bad money management that was the real sad story. He earned more in 10 years that many would earn in a lifetime , he is a good looking guy so could have done many sponsorships.

Del Potro was always my favourite player, loved his game, if only for injuries he would probably still be playing

Cant believe at the time he was the youngest in the top ten at 20 years old. Now we have many teens up there. Alcaraz being 19, as #1 player in the world is crazy

as an Argentine it was very very hard to watch this video, we love Delpo so much and it was so unfair what happened to him. Gracias por tanto Juan Martín ♥️♥️

That running forehand slam still haunts me to this day..... respect Delpo

Crazy how high quality these videos feel! Amazing work! Thank you for the videos!

What happened to Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori

Always felt so bad for Del Potro and Nishikori. Both had an incredible work ethic and potential but injuries stopped them from reaching their peak.

Martin del Potro was undoubtedly one of the most talented tennis players of his generation, with a powerful serve and forehand. It's a shame that injuries kept him from reaching his full potential and achieving the kind of success he was capable of. Watching him play was always a treat, and it's a testament to his skill that he was still able to achieve great things despite the setbacks. He may not have reached the heights that many predicted for him, but he will always be remembered as a true tennis great. 🎾

Small correction: Guillermo Vilas is a *four-time* Major champion. US Open '77, French Open '77 and Australian Open '78 and '79

i wasn’t expecting this to be so sad 😢 my first time hearing of his story 💔

a not necessarily better but more contextualizing translation to DelPo's tweet is "i will do what's possible", which is an incognita to what will happen. if he can he will, if he can't surely not. he said already that he feels constant pain in doing everyday activities and chores and simple things like going up the stairs, so let's not get our hopes up even though i couldn't wish more that he feels better come the US open!

And now Del Potro is talking about coming back. God I sure hope he does, he's such an icon.

This was hard to watch. He was my 2nd favorite player at the time, behind Roddick. But after Roddick retired, I was rooting for Delpo (but often times rooting for him to make a speedy recovery after surgery.) It just sucks his body couldn't keep up with his talent.

Del Porto atleast won a grandslam. David Ferrer hasn’t won one single grandslam. Andy roddick Barely won one. Federer really ruined Andy’s career

If Delpo's body was up to par, i think we would've been talking about the big 5 right about now.

I was an absolute Fed fan going into that 2009 us open final but Delpo won me over. I was happy he won, sad Roger lost. Going forward I always made it a priority to watch Delpo matches❤️ so many great memories

His U.S. Open final victory against Federer was the best performance I’ve ever seen. He would’ve only gotten better. GOAT for a day.

Del Porto should become a trainer. Helps against depression and gives him sth to fight for because... he really seems like a fighter to me.

In my top 5 favorite channels

Every time I hear and remember about DelPo, I cry, this is no exception :(

This guy would've won double digit grand slams if his body wasn't literally made of glass

A day with CULT TENNIS upload is a good day. Change my mind

Where do you get these ideas

would love to see a this style kind of video of wawrinka, love your stuff

Well, I think his forehand technique started his downfall. He uses his considerable girth to power the ball while the entire tour has changed to rely on racket head speed. All that jarring to his body takes its toll. If he had changed his game early when he had his first wrist injury and lost some weight to be more agile, his injuries would have been less severe and might have had a fuller career. But hindsight is 20/20. One could argue that his risky technique allowed him to beat Fed in the open. And that he did max out his potential. In that sense, he might have been the luckiest players. We will never know unless we build a time machine.

I can’t believe what his dad do to his hard earned prize money. Very sad.

My favorite Delpo. I feel he deserved to win more than what he achieved.

The way he destroyed Nadal at US Open 2009 is beyond words

It's stories like that of the majestic giant is why I think people should cool down about Alcaraz winning multiple slams. Being a long term champion is perhaps more about the body's ability to hold up over time than just being a great player.

To me, the greatest Prince in all of tennis history.

Coudl you make one about Robin Söderling?

I didn't like Delpo because I was a Fed fan and Delpo always got in his way. Thank you for making this video, now I have a great respect for his resilience and fighting spirit.

One of my favourite player on the tour, great vid !

He had so much potential. Guy would have like 4 or 5 slams and half of dozen masters had it not been for his injuries

A monstrous forehand that was Unplayable at his peak!

SURELY with getting injuries that consistently he must have been doing something wrong with training and recovery. Muscles and joints don't just get damaged on their own

Ask many Latin Americans and they'll tell you Argentinians have a reputation of being too full of themselves in sports, which is why many LatAm soccer fans will root for anyone BUT Argentina, however two glaring exceptions come to mind, at least in the sports I follow: Juan Manuel Fangio AND Juan Martín del Potro, both universally liked, admired and in the case of DelPo being similar to Federer in that they kind of always play with the advantage of having the general public support. I make no secret that DelPo's forehand (and racquet selection) influenced me, I could only wish I had such a dominating shot in my repertoire as DelPo has, to the point that you see players at GOAT level actively avoid that shot or engage it only in very select circumstances. While I could keep typing how sad it makes me feel how life seemingly had it for him and he could never string contiued success, following him on social media at least makes me see he's still resilient, still doing things and keeping himself active. Those of us who got the Latin American feed of the USO via ESPN/Star+ where treated to the absolute joy of hearing him commentate the Sinner/Alcaraz match and it was THE most insightful bit of commentating I've heard, describing exactly what the players should do, and then seeing either of them do word for word what DelPo had told us he'd do, it was almost like it was him controlling them in a video game. Hopefully it becomes a recurring thing and in more languages, he could make some good money that way. ...and he was just barely a week ago representing Roland Garros in an activity, seeing him on courts in instagram was SO nice. VAMOS DELPO!!!!

Pls make a biography series

Still remember his Olympic semi final London 2012 at Wimbledon against Federer - what a match!

CULT , you should make a video on the Dominican tennis player victor estrella Burgos his story is pretty fascinating

This guy has suffered inexplicable troubles. Just imagine being able to beat the big four, winning a GS at 20 yo and then a nightmare starts. After big efforts you manage to get through those issues and then injuries appear again. Surprisingly, you make an impressive comeback, winning a Davis cup, a new gs final but the nightmare shows up anew. Poor Delpo, with will always love you

Really like this guy, respect this guy. He doesn’t need 20 title to earn my respect. Still keep k95 18*20🎉

Great job as always. Please make an Alcaraz video

As playing tennis currently, I can agree with the first statement completely

No, he's not playing US open

Es una pena la mala pasada que el destino le jugo a Del Potro, igual a pesar de todo, es un ejemplo a seguir que nos muestra lo que significa ser humilde, tener pasion y ser perseverante ante cualquier situación. Tremendo atleta y siempre un ícono del deporte en Argentina.

Where video

Could you make a video about Andy Murray please

DelPo was one of my favorite player to watch..👌

Delpo was a ‘unicorn’ player when he first broke through in a sense that his game seemed like cheat code. He had no weakness at the time and was a 6’6 player who moved like he was 5’9…what a shame his body kept betraying him

JMDP è stato un giocatore eccezionale . è stato sfortunato . ma la sua grande sfortuna è stata pari al rispetto che è riuscito ad ottenere dentro e fuori dal campo dai suoi colleghi e all'ammirazione da parte dei suoi tifosi in tutto il mondo. un uomo e giocatore esemplare. in Italia è uno dei giocatori piu amati. grazie JMDP ------ JMDP was an exceptional player. He was unlucky. but his great misfortune was equal to the respect he managed to get on and off the field from his colleagues and the admiration from his fans around the world. an exemplary man and player. in Italy is one of the most beloved players. thanks JMDP

How he injured at 7:13

that "grip" on the forehand and his size was reason for injury... ; (

No tragedy. He is big though he is poweful but brokes too because so much power. It's only that he had to earn money and retire early so not suffer the rest of his life. The other problem is that his father made mistakes with Del Potro's money. But he gave so much to Argentina that he could be helped. Then, there would not be much tragedy

That thumbnail is one of the best I've ever seen on youtube lmao

Can someone explain how he got the left wrist injury when’s he’s right handed? His right wrist seems to be fine and got the least injury.

Del petro fully match fit is unbreakable, and unbearable.

great video, i wish Del potro can come back :(

I wonder if he still hits forehands with a ball machine or friends and family🤔

Pls make a video on the comeback of roger federer in 2014 and 2017

It's tragic but not his fault at all..

Such a sada story. Del Potro was really fun to watch, and I would have loved to see him play against today's Nex Gen Stars. Please another video with Andy Murray story!

If tennis is a game of inches no wonder i'm so bad.💀💀💀

At least he made it to the highest level in the sport that he liked .....i know extremely talented and hard workers players that stops their dreams and they end up being coachs at very young age just because how expensive tennis is from transport materials training hotels and they were pushed by society and family to just be normal ...juan or anybody that have people around them to support them financially and emotionally are very lucky human beings.

This is a tough one ...

The thumbnail seems quite disrespecting for a player of his calibre. Would be better off with another one tbh.

Đoković-Nadal-Federer-Murray-Del Potro!

Ive been playing and watching tennis for more than forty years. Ive never seen anyone hit the ball harder on either side than Del Potro. A lil less tall, a little more healthy, I think he could have been an all time great in the game of tennis' all time greatest era. Juan Martin was that good.

😥

Imagine if luck favoured him....he would have been the Messi of tennis. Argentina can only be lucky enough to have one Messi I guess.

Idk, most tennis players have a myriad of injuries. Delpo played 600 matches and until he was 30. That’s actually a long tennis career. I wouldn’t call that part unlucky.

Federer double bagels him in the 2009 Australian open quarterfinals.

This just shows you how Luck is the most important variable in making it to the top.

Getting into the sponsor was smoooooth