Andy Murray and Juan Martín del Potro will go head-to-head for the tenth time tomorrow for a spot in the fourth round of the French Open.
Del Potro injured his groin in the opening set of his third-round match against Nicolás Almagro, who retired injured, but said it was “not a source of concern” for the upcoming match against Murray despite the injury limiting his movement.
Although the pair are considered friendly rivals now, the two have shared mutual feelings of resentment in the past; in 2008, Murray expressed his anger after Del Potro made a jibe about Judy, the Scot’s mother, at the Rome Masters. Tomorrow’s encounter, then, promises to be a lively affair – here, The Times looks at their five most notable meetings.
Davis Cup, September 16-18 2016
Their most recent encounter was in the Davis Cup, where Great Britain were beaten by Argentina 3-2. Murray faced Del Potro in one of the five matches and produced an exhilarating five-set showdown.
Murray was playing in his home town of Glasgow but it did him no favours as Del Potro sealed the win 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, with Argentina going on to win the tournament by beating Croatia 3-2 in the final. This match was Murray’s longest to date, lasting five hours and seven minutes.
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Rio Olympics, August 14 2016
The memory of the Olympic Games in Rio is a bitter one for Del Potro having lost to Murray in another lengthy match which stretched to four sets: 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Fifteen breaks of serve (many of them consecutive) won by Murray helped him win his second Olympic singles gold medal, adding to his gold from the London Games in 2012.
US Open, September 4 2008
The pair’s second ever meeting – which came after their flare-up in Rome – was another four-set battle at the last-16 stage of the US Open, with Murray winning 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5. After the game, Del Potro apologised for his behaviour in their previous encounter. Murray went on to advance to the final but lost to Roger Federer 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.
Rogers Cup, August 16 2009
Canada was the stage as Murray and Del Potro split sets in the final, meaning it went to a third for the title. It was the latter who came up short, with Murray winning 6-7, 7-6, 6-1. The triumph moved Murray up from No 3 in the world rankings to No 2.
Indian Wells, March 16 2013
Another split-set showdown occurred during 2013’s Indian Wells ATP World Tour Masters, where the two met in the quarter-finals. Del Potro claimed the victory, defeating Murray 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the final stage of the tournament. However, he fell to Rafael Nadal in the final, losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.