Juan Martín del Potro will return to the Australian Open after four years. The Argentinean knows the local conditions and the danger of extreme heat.
The temperatures in Melbourne can reach over 30 degrees Celsius in January – it’s summertime in Australia. In keeping with this, the first Grand Slam of the year will take place in Down Under and the Australian Open will be the start of the new season.
At last season’s tournament, some of the pros had to contend with the heat and weather conditions. Many tasks overshadowed the first rounds of the tournament. Philipp Kohlschreiber said after his second round win over Donald Young at Eurosport:”It’s really tough out here. You have to drink a lot and the court is even hotter” Up to four litres of water lose the stars during a match. With electrolytes, water and dietary supplements, Kohli and Co. keep themselves above water and withstand the stresses and strains.
Juan Martín del Potro also knows the conditions in Down Under:”I like to be there and to see the last days of the tournament. But it’s really very hot and there are a lot of surprises,”says the Argentinean at ESPN. DelPo “reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne in 2009 and 2012. For the last time ever, del Potro struck Australia in 2014 and had to pack his suitcases after just two laps.
Things will be different next January. After winning the medal at the Olympic Games and winning the Davis Cup (both in 2016) I had difficulty motivating myself, I was completely empty inside,”confessed del Potro. The “Tower of Tandil” seems to have overcome the motivation gap well.
After his comeback to the clay court season of 2017, del Potro worked his way up to the top, celebrated the title defence in Stockholm and advanced to the US open semifinals. The Argentinean will start the year 2018 in Auckland,”I hope to start the season well. The first half of the year will be decisive, because I haven’t played well and I can now make great progress in ranking. That motivates me,”del Potro added.
In the world rankings, the service giant could once again be among the top 10, as it catapulted itself to eleventh place in the rankings with a great final phase in 2017.
The men’s world ranking list