Del Potro: 'The Fantastic Four' Are Wimbledon Favourites

It seems as if this edition of Wimbledon has been thrown into a time machine and sent back nearly a decade ago. Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the Top 4 seeds on the grass of the All England Club and are poised to turn back the clock once again.

Juan Martin del Potro, one of the three other Grand Slam champions in the draw (also Cilic and Wawrinka), played prognosticator ahead of The Championships. Del Potro assessed the chances of the Big Four, admiring their domination of the tournament since 2003.

“They have returned to be the Fantastic Four, as they have been throughout their careers,” said Del Potro, who is gradually continuing his comeback towards the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. “I think it’s something that appeals to every tennis fan. 

“I’ve always played good tennis at Wimbledon. I also have great memories of the Olympic Games in this stadium. Wimbledon is a tournament that always brings surprises in the first rounds and I think it’s also nice that we have the same top seeds that we had in 2008 or 2009. They are at an excellent level.”

Djokovic could cross Del Potro’s path in the third round, having already met on three occasions this year. The Serbian has captured all three encounters, prevailing on the hard courts of Acapulco and Indian Wells, before taking their quarter-final clash at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome.

But before he can look ahead to a potential battle against Djokovic, the Argentine has been presented another tough opponent in his debut on the London grass. It is #NextGenATP Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, who arrives at SW19 after stunning World No. 6 Milos Raonic in the first round at The Queen’s Club. 

“He is strong and hits very hard, although I do not know him that well. I think it’s going to be a typical match on grass, where the serve is going to be essential and with very few break points.”

Del Potro returns to action on grass, having played his last match in the third round of Roland Garros (l. to Murray). He points out the keys to success at the prestigious Grand Slam, where he reached the semis in 2013.

“In training, what I try to do is hit the returns harder. When you put yourself on defence it is more difficult to win the point and the ball gets quite heavy, causing the game to slow down.

“I’m still there with an acceptable position [in the Emirates ATP Rankings]. I’m still improving in my comeback. It’s a little out of the ordinary to what I’m used to in my career, but I’m calm and I know that my level will return.”