Argentina’s young prodigy Juan Martin del Potro beat Roger Federer, the dominant tennis player of the decade, in five sets at the US Open in September to win his first ever Grand Slam title. It was Federer’s first defeat at the US Open since 2003.
En route to the final, del Potro also defeated world No 3 Rafael Nadal 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 in the semi-finals. This was his third consecutive victory over Nadal, and made him the first Argentine to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Mariano Puerta at the 2005 French Open.
In the final, del Potro fought back from 2-1 and a service break down to defeat the world No 1 and five-time defending champion Federer 3–6, 7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–2. He became the first Argentine male to win the title since Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
The tallest ever Grand Slam champion at 1.98 metres (6ft 6ins), del Potro is the first player to defeat both Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam tournament.
