In the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics one man astonished the world with his historic comeback, he showed the world his killer forehand once again but most importantly he demonstrated that he was back stronger than ever. This man is Juan Martin Del Potro. When he saw that his first match was against the world's top-ranked player Novak Djokovic he laughed and said he was only going to be playing one match in these Olympic games; he ended up playing six matches proving that he is still the player he used to be even after having three surgeries on his left wrist. Delpo surprised the entire world and he even surprised himself given that he came into these games as an underdog and then ended them as one of the favorites for the US Open this September.

Many of you may not know Juan Martin Del Potro's story but I believe it is a story worth being told because it is inspiring and heart filling learning how much this player has worked to get to where he is. He was born in Tandil Argentina where he found his love for the game of tennis, playing since he was seven years old. With persistence, he went little by little going up the ladder of success in his tennis career where he reached the highest point in 2009 when he won his first and only grand slam title beating top-ranked players such as Rafael Nadal in the semifinal and Roger Federer in the final. Making him the second Argentinian to win the US Open. After that game, Juan finally received the attention he deserved and was known as one of the greatest players in the world. Shortly after he was ranked number four in the world proving that he was definitely one of the best. People finally stopped talking always about Federer and Nadal and they realized that there was a new star in the making. Unfortunately, during 2010 Del Potro had to withdraw from most of the tournaments due to his injury in his left wrist making that the first time he has to step down.

He returned in 2011 ready to make a mark in tennis history again, he was named the ATP Comeback player of the year and when the 2012 Olympic games came he made his country proud by taking the Bronze Medal, making himself once again among the top five players in the world. There came a point during his career where he thought he was no longer cut out to be a tennis player, his injury completely deteriorated his self-esteem but thank god he did not give up because in 2014 once again he began playing tournaments showing the world that he is not going anywhere. Unfortunately, his wrist failed him once again making him retire from the rest of the 2014 season and undergoing his second surgery. When the 2015 season came around, Del Potro was experiencing extreme pain in his left wrist but he decided to play the Australian Open anyway but did not make it through his first round match due to extreme pain. He disappeared from the 2015 season and had his third surgery on his left wrist on June 2015.

2016 came around and after going through three tough wrist surgeries Del Potro decided to try it once again. He is currently ranked N.141 in the world, yes you read right, One hundred and forty-one in the world and made it to the final of the summer Olympic games. After being out of the game for about two and half years Del Potro showed his star potential in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, proving that he definitely deserves to be among the top players in the world. He reminded every one of his extremely powerful forehand and we all got to see the Del Potro we all know and love proving that when he is healthy he is unstoppable. "The Tower of Tandil" definitely towered in these Olympic Games beating both Djokovic and Nadal and making it to the final. Although he did not win the gold medal, that silver medal is gold for him and for all of us fans because this man had the week of his life in these Rio Olympics. After receiving his silver medal on that podium he said in an interview "Im living a dream once again." Right before the games he was thinking about an early retirement but lucky for us he did not further consider this option given that he thought he deserved another chance to prove his ability.

Its obvious that his current ranking is not a demonstration of his true ability, this ranking just shows that he is at the bottom but belongs at the top and little by little this year I have confidence that he will gain more points and his ranking will improve because this is a player that deserves to be among the very best of the sport. This is a new Del Potro, he has gained more confidence in himself and is prepared to show his true potential to the world, he does not want to be that kid that shocked the world after beating Federer in 2009, he wants to be the player that the world knows can beat Federer. After losing that final point against Andy Murray in the final, he may have lost the gold medal but his entire career has been golden. So for those of you who did not know his story, now you know how this man had three left wrist surgeries and still has the forehand and serve of a champion. Some of you may think this story is a bit cliché, many athletes come back from injuries but Del Potro is different, at least for me he is. He is one of those few athletes that absolutely everyone loves because of his humility, tenderness, and serenity on the court; he never wants to show off, he is just himself; working hard to make his dreams come true even when things do not turn out how he would like them too. Every time he plays he makes me fall in love with the sport all over again because tennis is not always about who is the best at the time, it's mostly about who plays the best and fights the most for every point and that is who Juan Martin is; the fighter and the champion. So the next time you are at your dinner table and they are discussing why Juan Martin Del Potro is such a big deal, now you know and you can tell the story of this man and how he won the heart of the entire world in just one week.

So Delpo, from a true fan since 2008 I would like to thank you for demonstrating that with perseverance you can accomplish your dreams, I would like to thank you for coming back year after year and giving me something to look forward to in every grand slam, thank you for never giving up, I will be rooting for you in every match as I have been since 2008. Buena Suerte Delpo, Te amo!