• What the Deuce

Long road ahead for Del Potro

Juan Martin del Potro drops his racket in delight © PA Photos

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As Juan Martin del Potro clinched the winning point in Florida to end his 17-month title drought, the Argentine kissed his troublesome right wrist.

His victory over Janko Tipsarevic marked a big step in the Argentine's comeback from a serious injury that saw him sidelined for much of 2010 - and it was as much a triumph against his injury struggles as it was against the Serb.

Though he showed glimpses of the form that saw him claim the 2009 US Open, Del Potro is still some way off his best, and after a frustrating 2010 he is refusing to rush into thinking about returning to the world's elite.

"Three months ago I was just thinking about trying to play tournaments," Del Potro said. "Now I've won one."

Baby steps for the lanky Argentine, whose win at Delray Beach sees him return to the world's top 100. Having reached a career high ranking of No. 4 before last year's Australian Open, Del Potro slumped to 485 after this year's tournament, having fallen in the second round to Marcos Baghdatis.

After making his comeback in Bangkok in September, he failed to win a match as he suffered back-to-back defeats to Olivier Rochus and Feliciano Lopez. He had his revenge in Sydney when he claimed his first victory in nearly a year with a win over Lopez, but with just four matches under his belt lack of match practice hindered his chances of success in Melbourne.

But his confidence began to grow, and del Potro followed up semi-final appearances in San Jose and Memphis with his first title since September 2009. Having now won 11 of his last 13 matches, del Potro is moving steadily in the right direction, and will look to continue to climb back up the rankings.

But there is still a long way to go. No disrespect to Janko Tipsarevic, but there is a big gulf in class between the Serb and the game's top players. Del Potro's two most recent defeats came at the hands of Fernando Verdasco and Andy Roddick, a sign he is still some way from his best.

"I don't know if I'm ready to fight with top ten players, but I'm working very hard," he admitted. "I need 20 to 25 matches before I'll really be ready to play with them."

Del Potro's time on the practice courts is beginning to pay off © PA Photos

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With Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami on the horizon before the European clay court season kicks off in April, Del Potro has his work cut out if he is to return to the world's elite.

It remains to be seen whether he can ever return to the form that saw him deny Roger Federer a sixth straight US Open title in 2009, but it will not be through want of trying. After a frustrating 2010 - missing the best part of the season including the defence of his US Open title - Del Potro has shown real guts to make it to this point.

But courage can only get you so far - and Del Potro will have to be clever about his approach to the game. Regardless of his claims that his wrist is 'perfect', such a serious injury will have undoubtedly weakened his joint, and he may well increasingly have to learn to adapt his game to best preserve his wrist.

Like world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Del Potro must manage his schedule in order to remain healthy, and the success of his season will hinge largely on whether he avoids another injury setback.

After his triumph in Florida, the temptation will be to build momentum and get more matches under his belt, but there is a long season ahead and he must accept that now, more than ever, he is as much at the mercy of his body as his opponents.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.