If one were to tabulate which of the four Majors Juan Martin del Potro has under-performed in, it would be the French Open. The Argentine’s best result at Roland Garros has been reaching the semi-finals in 2009, followed by a quarter-final ouster nearly four years later in 2012. The winner on both occasions was Roger Federer, whom del Potro put through the paces, before he surrendered and squandered his lead, unable to completely demystify the Swiss barrier standing before him.

In the six years following the latter turn of events, Federer’s professional timeline has undulated sharply on the Parisian clay. For his erstwhile opponent though, they had had been completely stalled, with dusty motes settling upon his name in the tournament, hiding him with a harshness that not even his repeatedly concurrent injuries and rehabilitation could summon up.

A long-awaited reconnecting in Paris

With a dogged shoulder clouding his participation in the tournament, up to the eleventh hour, when he finally stepped on the court, it took del Potro nearly two hours to wipe off the gathered dirt of his four-year long absence from the Major.

And once he did so, by coming through decisively in his first round match against countryman Guido Pella in straight sets on Tuesday, it brought home all the reasons for which he had had been missed and the value addition he has continued to bring to tennis’ mix, regardless of how his career has had spun away from him.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Del Potro, upbeat and happy as he was after his win, still crouched his words sedately. “I think that the tournament is getting better every day, every year. I am so happy to be here again after five years,” the former world No 4 shared in his post-match media interaction. “I have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. We’ll see. I try not to make things too complicated, and I try not to set long-term objectives. I just play match-by-match.”

Speaking of which, ever since he has slowly been making his way back to the frenzy of competition, beginning in 2016, it has been Del Potro’s backhand – rather, for the last year or so, his lack thereof – that has been the axle around which the weaknesses of his game have been rotated upon.

Though never oblivious to the way he has been forced to make do by feebly slicing the ball when before he had the powerful two-hander to drive through the shots coming through at his backhand wing, following his win over Pella, Del Potro also acknowledged how frustrating it has had been to play on that side. “[From] time-to-time, I wish I could have played faster and had been able to do things I had done a few years ago.”

However, never one to lose heart, Del Potro then also went on to note, “[But] I was able to show what used to be my weak-points until recently – my backhand – it is getting better.”

Still trying to get bearings right in Paris

The Tandil native, who goes by the nickname of La Torre de Tandil – the Tower of Tandil – on account of his imposing 198 cm stature, will then get a chance to better himself even more on Thursday, when he takes on Nicolas Almagro in the second round.

It will be a sterner test too, what with the Spaniard, a fellow right-hander who employs a one-handed backhand himself, opting to trade cross-court rallies on that flank thereby forcing del Potro to either go for broke on his backhand, or repetitively hit his forehand inside-out, which would end up leaving him with the disadvantage of having the whole court open for Almagro to strike back.

In his conversation with the press after his opening round win, the 28-year-old also pointed out, “I think I’m playing good tennis on the surface where I don’t feel good enough.” Tying it back to the aspect of him being below-par in this one tournament, del Potro’s comments can then be taken as a stamp of verification of this lingering rationale.

However, given that he’s played at the French Open the least number of times in his career – even by Del Potro’s underlying penchant for optimism – the assessment has no standing to base itself on. Even as there’s a renewed chance for him, at long last, to brighten his compromised destiny in the proverbial city of lights.