Del Potro had a fine Olympic Games, beating Djokovic in the bronze medal match and extending Federer to four-and-a-half hours in that epic semi-final. Andy was pretty grateful to come up against Roger in a weary frame of mind.
Having said that, Andy played the match of his life to win Olympic gold, and we shouldn’t take anything away from the quality of his tennis. He did all the things we have been talking about for the last couple of years: he took the rallies on with his forehand, he found the big serves when he needed them, and he was keen to move forward and take away Federer’s time.
The biggest plus was simply the way he dealt with the occasion and the pressure. You would never have guessed that this was a guy with a question mark against his temperament in the most important matches. Just like his coach, Ivan Lendl, Andy has experienced plenty of disappointment in grand slam finals, but now he transmits the impression that he really belongs on this stage.
For the players, the Olympics were as big as any major, and the fact that Andy produced such a dominant display against the world No.1 will be a significant step in his development. I actually feel that it will take the pressure off Andy a bit, because he has achieved something that neither Federer nor Djokovic can claim: he has won the Olympic singles tennis tournament.
The US Open looks like being his best chance yet of winning a grand slam, but the only question in my mind is about physical and mental tiredness. Remember that Andy had a back problem coming into the summer, which required a lot of painkilling injections just before the French Open. Now he is back playing on hard courts, which will put more stress on his body than the grass of Wimbledon.
It’s important that Andy disposes of his early opponents in an efficient fashion at Flushing Meadows, which means maintaining the same positive intent that he showed at the Olympics. If he slips back into stalking mode, relying on his opponents’ errors, he could be exhausted by the time he gets to the final weekend. The weather in New York is bound to be humid and stifling and quick kills will be a valuable currency.
I was surprised that Andy flew to Toronto the day after the Wimbledon final, but I suppose that’s the sort of never-ending workload today’s players have to deal with. He won his first match, then complained of a sore knee and dropped out of the tournament. Then, in Cincinnati, he lost to Jeremy Chardy in the third round.
I wouldn’t read too much into those results. Andy is a very natural player on hard courts, and he can get by without too much build-up. It might even work to his advantage that he hasn’t played a lot over the last couple of weeks. I hope he took some time away from the game and didn’t push himself too hard in training, because the next fortnight is when he needs to be on the money. He likes New York – he likes the surface and he likes the ambiance, so there is every reason to think this could be his time.
Still, you have to look at both of his main rivals and say that they will be in good shape, too. Novak had a bit of a blip between winning Miami in early April and Toronto earlier this month, but that’s only by comparison with his incredible 2011 season. He still made the final in most of the clay-court tournaments he played, only being halted by Nadal. And reaching the last four of the two events at Wimbledon was hardly a disaster.
Then there is Federer, who won Cincinnati a week ago to continue the extraordinary streak of titles that started in Basel last year. To get his game together so quickly on the hard-court stretch is a big deal for him. The last nine months have produced an unbelievable turnaround from a player who was being written off last summer, and there is a strong chance now that Roger will finish 2012 on top of the rankings.
Federer’s forehand is still the decisive part of his game. It was buzzing when he beat Andy in the Wimbledon final, but off-target in the Olympic rematch. If he is nailing it again in New York, he could easily go on to win an 18th major over the next two weeks.
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