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Juan Martin Del Potro will make his comeback in Delray Beach after an 11 month layoff, as he meets Denis Kudla in the first round of this hard court event. It will be the last match of the day, 01:00 GMT time.
Del Potro played exactly two tournaments and 4 matches in the last 24 months. The Argentinean got injured in February 2014, came back in January last year but re-injured himself. He will now make a second comeback, hoping that his recurring wrist injury will give him a break. Del Potro did not seem too confident ahead of his return, asking fans to have patience, as it’s just his first tournament and another step in the rehab process. He also stated that he does not know how many tournaments he will play in the near future and that for now he will just try it out at Delray Beach, see how it goes.
Kudla, ranked 65th in the world, is on the back of a second round exit at Memphis, losing against Kukushkin in straight sets after previously defeating Ram, also in straight sets. After having an excellent 2015, the American is not exactly playing lights out right now. His form is rather mediocre, posting a record of 4 wins and 4 losses this year. However, he’s in decent rhythm and he remains a dangerous player on the American hardcourts.
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The Head 2 Head is 0-0, as the two players never met before. A matchup analysis is difficult to compile and it’s pretty much irrelevant in this case. Del Potro is obviously the better player by miles so you can’t really talk about matchups, but it’s all about his fitness. Hard is the best surface for both players.
While it’s true that last year Del Potro came back after 11 months and won two matches right from the off against Stakhovsky and Fognini, this time it’s even worse, as it’s the second 11 month layoff in two years. He also seems less confident this time around than he seemed last year, according to his statements.
It’s hard to see Del Potro coming back at a good level right from his first match after not playing for 11 months, suffering surgeries and playing just 4 matches in two years. While Kudla is not a world beater and he’s not playing great right now, he’s a competent player with plenty of matches under his belt this year and he should be able to take advantage of the situation – especially as he plays at home, on his best surface.
My tip is Kudla to capitalize on Del Potro’s (probable) unforced errors and win. With these circumstances, there’s definitely good value in the odds and I am very tempted to take advantage with very high stakes. However, I will keep the investment reasonable because Del Potro was surprisingly good when he made his comeback last year and Kudla is not in great form. Prediction: Juan Martin Del Potro – Denis Kudla 4-6 7-6 2-6.
Pick: Kudla
Odds: 2.47 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 10.29
Event date: 17 February
