Can Del Potro emulate Ivanisevic in being a wildcard Grand Slam winner?

He managed to reach the third round at Wimbledon, and showed glimpses of his former self by knocking out world number four and two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

But now, Coral rate Del Potro as the 14/1 tournament fourth-favourite for the upcoming US Open, meaning he is a genuine title contender. That is especially with Djokovic seemingly going through a slump, Federer out through injury, Nadal past his best and Murray risking burning himself out after a busy summer.

Del Potro hoping to emulate Ivanisevic

If Del Potro were to claim the final Grand Slam of 2016 in Flushing Meadows, New York, he would be just the second man in the singles section to do so after fellow tall big-server Goran Ivanisevic famously won Wimbledon in 2001.

However, while the Croat was slightly higher in the rankings at 125 before the tournament, Del Potro has the advantage of having lifted the US Open title before.

Ivanisevic’s victory also propelled him right up to number 16 in the world, even though he was coming towards the end of his career.

But again in contrast, Del Potro could use any win or success to further help his aspirations, as he is only 27 and can take advantage of when Djokovic and Murray (who are both two years older) decline.

Murray knows first hand of Del Potro’s resurgence

Talking of Murray, the Scot, who has had his run-ins with the Argentine in the past, clearly has respect for him after all he’s been through and believes he is far from done.

“He obviously played, at times tonight, extremely well,” Murray said. “He’s done amazing, really, to get back to playing and competing at this level after all the issues he’s had with his wrists.

“Mentally, I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been, to keep going through the same program and to try and come back.

“It’s amazing he’s come back from it, but also back to the level he’s playing at just now,” the current Wimbledon champion added. “He deserves a lot of credit for that, and he should be very proud. It’s not an easy thing to do.”

So, make sure to watch closely this US Open, which may be the most competitive in years with the likes of Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori raising their games in recent months too!

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