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After shedding tears of sorrow as his reverse singles loss left Argentina with defeat in four Davis Cup finals, Juan Del Potro can take heart from kind words uttered by opponent Rafael Nadal after clinching a 4-1 finals score line at the weekend for Spain.
The four-set thriller, in which 2009 US Open winner Del Potro fought valiantly to no avail against the six-time Roland Garros champion, marked the end of Argentine tennis dreams for another season in the worldwide team competition.
But Nadal says that the defeated warrior has the game to possibly reach the top rung of the ATP. “Del Potro has a very high level as a player. For a long time he was making incredible shots like no one else.
“He is a very good player. It’s clear that he’s a candidate for No. 1. He will be among the first four players in the world next year. He’s a very complete player. He doesn’t have any cracks in his game.
“He’s very solid. He will be unstoppable next year if his (wrist) injury allows him.” Del Potro’s promising career took a detour after he won the US Open over Roger Federer with a wrist injury and subsequent surgery keeping him out of the game and off his top for nearly a year.
He’s been working ever since to return to his one-time Top 5 form, currently standing 11th on the ATP table to start 2012.
© “DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”
Topics: Juan Martin Del Potro, Rafael Nadal