NEW YORK – “Olé, olé, olé, olé! Delpo, Delpo!”
Seven years ago, that was the fervent chant that raised the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as a shy, gangly 20-year-old standing at 6’6” defeated No. 3-seed Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the U.S. Open semifinals. It was the third consecutive victory over Nadal for Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, whose deep serve and powerful forehand often left the Spaniard befuddled. The next day, the raucous crowd was singing once again, this time as Delpo defeated World No. 1 and five-time defending champion Roger Federer in five sets to win the 2009 U.