Basel 2013: Del Potro makes statement win to start his title defence

When the popular Argentine Juan Martin del Potro stepped onto an indoor hard court for the first time this year, he won the title. That was Rotterdam in February and he went on to put together one of the best seasons of his already impressive career.

That is certainly saying something about a man who is that rare beast: A Grand Slam champion in the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and now Andy Murray. He is still younger than any of them.

But success on indoor courts is not new to Del Potro. In 2012, he reached the final of Rotterdam, losing out to Federer in the final. And in this city of Basel, host to another 500 series indoor tournament, he went one better last October, taking the title in the Swiss man’s home in a thrilling three setter.

He comes back this year as top seed—higher than Federer for the first time—and already qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals ahead of Federer. It all says something about the form he has shown not just indoors but across the board—many claim, indeed, that he is playing as well as in his US Open-winning year.

Ranked at No5 in the world, just one short of the place he last reached before wrist surgery at the start of 2010, he has shown that his ambitions extend beyond 500 events, too.

At Indian Wells, he reached the final by beating Tommy Haas, Murray and Djokovic, and then took the first set from Nadal before losing the final in three.

After missing the French Open with illness, he sailed through to the Wimbledon semi-finals without dropping a set, beating David Ferrer in the process, but it was his match against Djokovic in the semis that became the most memorable of the tournament—a near-five-hour feast which showed Del Potro is not just a big hitter but an impressive mover for such a big man.

He arrived in Shanghai on the back of the Tokyo title and threw down another marker by beating Nadal in the semis and losing the final in a final set tie-break to Djokovic.

In fairness, his opening opponent as he began his Basel title defence could have been a tougher one. He drew the Swiss wild card, 21-year old Henri Laaksonen, ranked 224 and a frequenter of the third tier of ATP competition, the Futures tour. He reached five finals at that level this year, but had not yet managed to win a title.

But in the event, del Potro’s absence from indoor hard courts since February showed in the early stages. He broke the Swiss man in the first game, only to concede a break back for 2-2, and the young player stayed with the Argentine to for the next few games. But Laaksonen was badly let down by his first serve, hitting just 30 per cent, and del Potro broke again to take the set.

Laaksonen’s early nerves seem to ease off in the second set, and his serving improved significantly: He even hit six aces in the set compared with just three from del Potro. But the Argentine’s heavy and aggressive game, especially from the baseline, broke him quickly.

Even so, the Swiss held off break points in fifth game and ended with another very creditable 4-6 set. Against the stature and 2013 record of del Potro, that will surely be something to build on.

At Laaksonen’s age, though, del Potro had already won his first Major—and has the look, fitness and vastly improved mobility to suggest he is ready to threaten for more next year.

But as he closes in on his 300th match win—he is just two matches short—he may have another big prize in mind before 2014. He was runner-up to Nikolay Davydenko at the World Tour Finals in 2009, but like Nadal, he has not yet won it.

Bearing in mind that he has beaten Nadal, Djokovic, Ferrer and Murray this year, and beat Federer and Berdych in their last matches in 2012, his chances should certainly not be discounted in London.