Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro did not let his heartbreaking loss in the semifinals against Roger Federer affect his concentration as he went on to win the Olympic singles bronze medal at the All England Club, beating 2008 Beijing bronze medalist Novak Djokovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-4.
“I think I’m the most happy [person in] the world at this moment,” del Potro said.
On Friday, Del Potro lost in a singles match that set the Olympic record as the longest one contested. He lost to eventual silver medalist Roger Federer 19-17 in the deciding set.
“It’s our (Argentina’s) first medal at this Olympic Games. It’s the first time in men’s singles. I think it means a lot for us. I wish a fantastic day for [Argentineans] to celebrate this with me… It’s amazing. It’s history, I think. It’s time to celebrate all together,” del Potro said.
“After a really sad day two days ago, it’s not easy to recovery and to play these kind of matches. But I had energy in my body, in my heart and that’s helped me to play this big challenge. I think I played really close to my best level, like against Federer,” he added.
His performance at the All England Club could be a likely indication that the Argentine is once again in contention amongst the higher-ranked rivals. He was once ranked world number four and won the 2009 US Open title, the only player outside the world’s top three to break the tripoly in several years running.
Del Potro is slated to compete at the 2012 Rogers Cup in Toronto this week.
