Del Potro Robbed In Paris

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 4th November 2013

BNP Paribas 2013 Masters Tennis Tournament

Del Potro Robbed In Paris

epa03931408 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during their third round match at the BNP Paribas 2013 Masters tennis tournament in Paris, France, 31 October 2013. EPA/IAN LANGSDON |

Juan Martin del Potro is insistent London is one of his favorite places to visit after this summer’s memorable Wimbledon semi-final battle.

But Paris is now one of his least liked places and happy to leave after being robbed at the city’s Gare du Nord station as he prepared to make his Eurostar train trip through the Channel Tunnel for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

The tall Argentine, this week ranked world no.5, had his suitcase stolen on Saturday lunchtime as he stopped to sign an autograph, losing both his passport and more sentimentally a string of rosary beads that had been blessed by his Argentinian countryman Pope Francis.

Del Potro, had been beaten the previous evening by Roger Federer in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Masters at Bercy’s Palais de Omnisports. Following the robbery he spent two hours talking to the French Gendarmerie and filling out the requisite paperwork before boarding the high speed train.

“I don’t know who asked me for an autograph but I turned round and they took my suitcase,” said 25 year-old Del Potro. “I have my racquets and my clothes but nothing else. I lost personal things, my rosary that the Pope blessed in Rome, which is important to me.

“That is the most upsetting thing. Meeting the Pope was a big moment for me, maybe the biggest moment of my life. I was able to speak to him about tennis and about his career.

“Everybody knows I am Catholic and this was a fantastic opportunity to speak to him and hear what he is doing for the world. In our country we are so proud to have him in that position.”

Del Potro believes the blessing had a big part in his improved form in the second half of the year. He said: “After I met the Pope I made semi-finals of Wimbledon, I won in Washington.

“I feel like a better person for sure after I met him. It’s the same feeling everyone has. You feel that you have to do something for other people, for your family, for your parents.

“I am very Catholic. I am trying to be a good person every day and do what my parents teach me when I was a kid. Some athletes can change, because it’s not easy when you became famous too fast.

“The money, the pictures, the fans following you everywhere you can have everything you want. There are different temptations every time, but you have to be calm with your focus and your work. You need a very sharp team working with you to still be the same person all the time.”

Unlike the seven other rivals who will also be at London’s 02 Arena, Del Potro will not be equipped with a bag full of rackets. In fact he is only travelling with two, but that has nothing to do with the robbery.

Instead the demands and rigors of the year have eroded his collection. However he maintains he is unconcerned and said: “I finish one set of tennis and then I send the racket I have used to the stringer while I play with the other. It’s not perfect but I don’t want other rackets because they would feel different. Next year I can have more.”

Del Potro soon learned he had been drawn in the second group of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and for the first six days of the competition will be involved in round robin matches with Federer, second seed Novak Djokovic who won the title in Paris and is on a 17 match winning streak, and Richard Gasquet. Group A features world number one Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Stanislas Wawrinka.

It is the fourth year Del Potro has qualified for the World Tour Finals and the third time since the tournament moved to the O2 in 2009 but he admitted to feeling weary after losing to Federer, whom he had beaten six days earlier to take the Swiss Indoors title in Basel.

“I’m feeling tired but that’s it’s normal,” he said. “I’ve played 18 matches in only one month, travelling to China, Europe and Argentina in the middle.

‘But I’m doing well and I’m excited to get ready for this tournament and I know it’s the last effort of the year. I will try to play at the same level I’ve been playing the last few weeks.”

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Bnp Paribas Masters, David Ferrer, Juan Martin Del Potro, Novak Djokovic, Paris, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer, Sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News