As the tennis world celebrates the 50th birthday of Argentina’s tennis legend Gabriela Sabatini on May 16, 2020, we provide a special excerpt on Sabatini in the book “Juan Martin del Potro: The Gentle Giant” by Argentina’s leading tennis newspaperman Sebastian Torok. The book is available for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559920/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_ZhcWEbW7VYF2M
More than winning, Guillermo Vilas was the man who popularized tennis in Argentina. He was the first to win a major title for the nation and was followed years later by Gabriela Sabatini. The great Gaby struggled at first to break through but finally did so on a very warm Saturday on September 8th, 1990 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows. On that afternoon, Gabriela, the biggest rock in the shoe of the phenomenal Steffi Graf, beat the world No. 1 from Germany 6-2, 7-6(4) and won the only major of a career that deserved a lot more.
Sabatini, warm and attentive, knew del Potro for more years than many people would guess, from his early years as a young up-and-coming player. “Already at that moment you would appreciate his talent and personality,” she said of the young del Potro. “You could tell he was one step ahead by his mentality. Without being too competitive it’s difficult to achieve goals and win matches to move up in the tennis world… Physically, you could see he was going to be very tall and that was the only thing that generated doubts where the injuries he would suffer. He grew too fast and feared that he was not strong or muscular enough to sustain all the wear he was doing… For me it’s fundamental to have passion for everything because tennis, like any other sport, demands a lot of effort and discipline. On top of that, you have the intensity of the life of a high performance tennis player. Years later, I actually experienced on the court how powerful his game was. In February of 2015, I was in Miami preparing for an exhibition with Monica Seles at Madison Square Garden and Franco Davin (then the coach of del Potro) asked me if I wanted to hit some with Juan Martin at Key Biscayne. I said, ‘Of course, why wouldn’t I want to?’ It was a spectacular experience because there I noticed the real speed of his forehand, the whip that he has in that monster of a forehand.”
With the years, Gabriela transformed into a lucky charm as a fan for del Potro. She always held an interest in following the current and up-and-coming Argentinian players. In 2016, she was glued to the television for del Potro’s amazing achievements at the Olympic Games in Rio and at the Davis Cup.
“I followed Delpo’s matches in Rio from Zurich, where I am living, and I tried to get comfy for the time difference,” she said. “What he generated was fabulous. He reached out to everyone. It had been a while since he last competed in important matches and created wonderful results from the first day. I thought that after beating Djokovic in the first round he would be finished but he took strength out from the beyond. He was very tired and, surely, in general pain, but there was nothing that would prevent him from fighting to achieve his medal. That is what I saw. Also for other athletes from other sports to go cheer for you makes you feel really good. All that experience and living together in the Olympic Village is very motivating. I also watched closely all the matches at the Davis Cup Final that were also very exciting. After beating Great Britain in the semifinals I saw the very difficult match against Croatia. It was expected that Argentina would be 1-2 down after Saturday. There Juan Martin appeared again, like when he beat Murray in the semifinals. Cilic played strategically good. He was impeccable. But all of a sudden a small window opened for Juan Martin, and bye. A light appeared and everything changed. That is what usually happens in tennis. Everything that the team did made me feel good. There is no other word than admiration.”
Gabriela feels some special identification with del Potro since they both won the U.S. Open and also an Olympic silver medal (del Potro also won a bronze medal in singles in 2012 at the London Games). “We never sat down to talk about that,” said Sabatini. “But I heard Juan talk about unique feelings that he got at the Olympic Games and I identified with that. These are feelings that are different from the rest. I put these as the most beautiful and unique experiences in my life. My fist Games were in Seoul in 1988 and I was there in the Olympic Village with all the Argentinian athletes. I remember that I would wake up in the morning and everyone else was already training. That gave me spectacular energy. It was contagious. In that moment there wasn’t much technology like now. You had to write a message on a blackboard and then check if someone had left a note. This is how communications worked, it was fun. I left very nourished from the Games and the adrenaline lasted a long time.”
Reflective of the pro tennis world that she left in 1996, Sabatini analyzed the past, present and future of del Potro and his respective position in the game. “Someone asked me what would have happened at the top of the tennis world if Juan Martin didn’t have so many injuries,” said Sabatini. “I don’t know. The mind and the constant pressure plays a big roll. It’s not the same to be in the top 10, than the top three and to know that you could reach No. 1. It’s a step further to go that far. The problem is if he wants to go that extra step. He’s just human and has his slumps, like everyone. But I have no doubts: he is a No. 1.”
“Juan Martin del Potro: The Gentle Giant” tells the story of one of Argentina’s greatest tennis players and the most important of his generation. After winning the 2009 U.S. Open, defeating Roger Federer in a glorious five-set final, del Potro was poised to take over the tennis world. However, wrist problems developed and del Potro endured three surgeries over 15 months. One of the world’s most popular players, del Potro’s fan base grew as he made his comeback—watching him win his second Olympic medal in Rio in 2016, where he once lost to Andy Murray, but won the hearts of millions around the world. He followed up by leading Argentina to victory in the Davis Cup. Described as the “Gentle Giant,” del Potro has the sensitivity to comfort a ball girl hit during a match, to stop in the middle of the game to gaze at a butterfly, and to accompany a young fan in the last days of his life. However, when he grips the racket, he becomes one of the most destructive strikers of a tennis ball.
“This book is an unprecedented trip to the emotional and sporting aspect of one of the best tennis players of the last decade,” said Torok, the author of the book, an internationally regarded tennis writer for La Nacion and with ESPN in Argentina. “Juan Martin del Potro is someone who lived with tragedy since his childhood, a tennis player who hit bottom and had the strength to persevere multiple times. This book was created with more than 70 interviews of people who, in one way or another, had to do with the life of del Potro. I am very excited and proud that this book is now available in English around the world.”
The original version of the book was published in Spanish under the title “El Milagro Del Potro.” The English language book was translated by Luis Rossi of Argentina and Haley Hunt of Brookline, Mass.
The book is published by New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) which is also the publisher of “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” by Steve Flink, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Secrets of Spanish Tennis” by Chris Lewit, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Pros: The Forgotten Era Of Tennis” by Peter Underwood, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” by Rick Macci with Jim Martz, “Andy Murray, Wimbledon Champion: The Full Extraordinary Story” by Mark Hodgkinson, “Cattle To Courts: A History of Tennis In Texas” by Ken McAllister, “Sport of a Lifetime: Enduring Personal Stories From Tennis” by Judy Aydelott, “Trojan Tennis: A History of the Storied Men’s Tennis Program at the University of Southern California” by S. Mark Young, “Absolute Tennis: The Best And Next Way To Play The Game” by Marty Smith, “How To Permanently Erase Negative Self Talk So You Can Be Extraordinary” by Emily Filloramo, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Your Playbook For Beating Depression: Essential Strategies For Managing and Living with Depression” by Cliff Richey and Mary Garrison, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker, “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Court Confidential: Inside The World Of Tennis” by Neil Harman, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated, But It Doesn’t Have To Be” by Laura Schreffler, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “Bone Appetit: Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Suzan Anson, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.