If there’s anyone who knows how to make a comeback, it’s Juan Martin del Potro.

Del Potro has been on the receiving end of multiple surgeries, including procedures on both wrists, which have ultimately put unwanted delays on his career. Each time though, the Argentine has been able to make the rebound and assert himself back to the upper echelons of the game. 

On Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, he plays a player looking to do the same.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following matches from the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itaú & vote for who you think will win! 
Del Potro vs Nishikori | Schwartzman vs Raonic | Cilic vs Pospisil

In February, Kei Nishikori made his return from a five-month wrist injury layoff at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Newport Beach. Although he would lose in his first match, he won the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas the following week, slowly working his way back to the world-beating form that has seen him near the top of the ATP Rankings for several seasons now.

No. 5 seed Del Potro and Nishikori, seeded 26^th, will face off for the first time since the Citi Open in Washington last season, which saw the Japanese emerge victorious in two sets in the third round. However, their other 2017 meeting went the way of Del Potro, in the third round of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Rome. Overall, Del Potro leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 5-2. 

“It could be a very difficult match for me. Kei has a very good two-handed backhand and good returns. And he’s playing well,” said last week’s BNP Paribas Open champion after his three-set victory over Robin Haase in his opening match. “He feels 100 per cent, free of pain on his wrist. And he’s a dangerous guy on Tour. I mean, if he has a good day, he can beat all of the other players. I must play even better than tonight.” 

The match will pit the might of the Del Potro forehand against the precision of the Nishikori backhand, two of the most electric shots on the ATP World Tour. While history has shown that the Argentine has been able to hit through Nishikori more than the Japenese has been able to outlast Del Potro from behind the baseline, their combined experience in big-match moments is sure to yield a fascinating contest on Crandon Park’s Stadium court. 

Later in the day, No. 3 seed and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov squares off against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy for a spot in the fourth round.

The two haven’t faced each other since 2016, but if their previous encounters are anything to go by, their third-round affair could be one two watch. Dimitrov owns their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 3-1, but each of their past three matches has gone the distance, including a decisive 10-8 third-set tie-break in Brisbane three years ago.

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In a rematch of their Australian Open first-round battle, No. 2 seed Marin Cilic and Canadian Vasek Pospisil will take to the Grandstand court for a place in the fourth round.

Cilic has put together a successful 2018 season so far, and will be looking to hoist his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy after claiming his first in Cincinnati back in 2016. Pospisil, who himself has posted a successful string of results on the ATP Challenger Tour, brings an 0-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record into Sunday’s match with Cilic, but will attempt to use his versatile game and prowess at the net to push the World No. 3 a few steps further than their tight four-setter in Melbourne earlier this season. 

Former World No. 3 Milos Raonic and No. 13 seed Diego Schwartzman close out play at Crandon Park in an exciting third round clash of styles – and heights. Although they have met only once before with Raonic, then ranked at No.3 in the ATP Rankings, earning the win last year in Brisbane, the tides – and rankings – have taken a noteworthy turn since. Battling a variety of injuries, the Canadian’s ranking has tumbled; however, the eight-time tour-level titlist appears to be rounding back into form following a semi-final appearance at the BNP Paribas Open last week.

Schwartzman finds himself at a career-high of No. 16 in the ATP Rankings after posting strong results in 2018, including his first ATP World Tour 500 title at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The diminutive Argentine will have to muster his best counterpunching and passing shots if he’s to notch his first win over the 6’5” Canadian, who will be attacking the net behind his cannon of a service delivery.

In his first match since Davis Cup nearly two months ago, it was smooth sailing for Nick Kyrgios against Dusan Lajovic, prevailing 6-4, 6-1 in just under 50 minutes at the Miami Open presented by Itau 

Kyrgios’ 2018 got off to an electric start when he claimed his fourth ATP World Tour title and first on home soil in Brisbane. After losing a thriller to Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open, the 22-year-old played just two Davis Cup rubbers before being sidelined with a tricky elbow injury that forced him to withdraw from tournaments in February and March. 

But he couldn’t have asked for a better comeback to competition, powering past World No. 108 Lajovic in a dominant display of aggressive yet measured tennis. The Australian World No. 20 hit 21 winners and was helped out by 21 unforced errors off the racquet of his Serbian opponent. He posted exceptional numbers in the service department; surrendering just five points on serve in the entire match and striking seven aces.

“I feel good. I’ve got to take it very slowly,” said Kyrgios after the match. “I know my body is not 100% just yet, but I also know that it’s going to take some time to get back to where I was and playing at the level I was playing at the start of the year. At the moment I’m happy, but I’m still taking it very slowly.”

Next up for Kyrgios is Fabio Fognini, who used his exceptional defensive skills and wealth of experience to surge past wild card and #NextGenATP Spaniard Nicola Kuhn, 6-2, 6-4. The 18-year-old Kuhn won his first ATP World Tour main draw match in the first round of the Miami Open, becoming just the second player born in the 2000’s to win a tour-level match after 17-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime two weeks ago at the BNP Paribas Open.

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In other action, top American Jack Sock edged Yuki Bhambri 6-3, 7-6(3) in one hour and 34 minutes. Making his sixth tournament appearance, Sock is coming off a quarter-final run in 2017. He exacted revenge on Bhambri five years after the Indian prevailed at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 

Eighth-seeded Sock served for the match twice – at 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set – but Bhambri would not go down without a fight. He forced a tie-break, where Sock would eventually triumph on his second match point.

The Nebraska native will next face Borna Coric for the third time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (tied 1-1). Coming off his best performance at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, reaching the semi-finals last week in Indian Wells, the Croatian defeated Leonardo Mayer 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

Coric survived a tense affair against Mayer, earning the victory after a marathon two hours and 56 minutes. He overcame 10 aces, while saving eight of nine break points faced.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are off to an impressive start in their bid for a second ATP World Tour title together for the season at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The sixth seeds posted a 6-3, 6-4 result over Ryan Harrison and Max Mirnyi on Saturday to set a second-round clash with Russian Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.

The British-Brazilian pairing had fallen in the second round the BNP Paribas Open (l. to Querrey/Muller) but successfully defended a title together for the first time in Acapulco (d. Bryan/Bryan) leading in to Indian Wells. 

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan had a tougher time of it launching their bid for a fifth Miami Open presented by Itau title. The fourth-seeded Americans rebounded to deny Marcus Daniell and Dominic Inglot 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-3. They will next meet Diego Schwartzman and Leonardo Mayer after the all-Argentine pair eked out a 6-7(6), 7-6(5) 11-9 victory over Marcin Matkowski and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

Canadian 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov claimed his second victory of the day over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur when he and fellow #NextGenATP star Hyeon Chung advanced over Dzumhur and Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-2. Shapovalov also downed Dzumhur in 6-1, 7-5 to opening his Miami singles campaign on Saturday. He and Chung will next face eighth seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal.

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South African-New Zealander duo Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus pulled off the biggest upset of the day with a 7-6(5), 6-4 win over seventh seeds Ivan Dodig and Rajeev Ram. John Isner and Donald Young await in the second round.

Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, semi-finalists last week in Indian Wells, recovered from a set and a break down to see off Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez. The Australian Open champions prevailed 4-6, 7-6(2), 11-9 to set a second-round meeting with German brothers Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev.

Ben McLachlan and Jan-Lennard Struff booked a showdown with No. 5 seed Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau. The Japanese-German duo saw off Marcelo Demoliner and Daniel Nestor 6-4, 7-5.

Roger Federer knows better than anyone, at 36, it is as much about keeping a spark of motivation alive as it is about managing his body. Defeat then to the 175th-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis in his opening match at the Miami Open presented by Itau, comes with a silver lining – the chance to rest and reinvigorate that hunger in time for the grass-court swing.

The loss prompted an announcement that, for the second consecutive year, he would skip the clay-court season, including Roland Garros. It proved a masterstroke in 2017 as he went on to claim a record eighth Wimbledon title.

Federer will hand over the No. 1 ATP Ranking to Rafael Nadal on April 2, having spent 309 weeks at the top during his career. That in itself presents a new goal for the season ahead – to reclaim his place at the top.

“Yeah, I decided not to play,” Federer said of the upcoming clay-court season. “I didn’t play great last week either, I felt, overall. Nothing new, in my opinion. I’m trying to figure things out, so… I have time now.

“I’m a positive thinker. I feel like every match is another opportunity. Especially after losing one, clearly I’m down right now. I’m disappointed. I’m frustrated a little bit that I couldn’t find a way. It’s unfortunate how it goes.

“It’s pretty simple at the end of the day. You go back to the practice court or go on vacation, you really take a break, get away from it all. When you come back to the practice court to work, whatever it is, you do it at 100 per cent.”

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The 21-year-old Australian’s 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory drew high praise from the Swiss. This was an opponent Federer had spent time training with at his Dubai base, a player who had endured more than his share of injury hurdles in his young career.

“Look, he’s a cool guy, a cool demeanour,” Federer said. “He’s been to Dubai to practise with me a couple of times. I knew him very well. We have worked very hard together. I’ve always liked his game.

“I’m happy for him that on the big stage he was able to show it, centre court, Miami, people watching, beating me. It’s a big result for him in his career. I hope it’s going to launch him, really getting his ranking up.”

Not since 2014 when he lost the Monte-Carlo final (l. to Wawrinka) and first round in Rome (l. to Chardy) had Federer fallen in back-to-back matches. Coming off a narrow defeat in the BNP Paribas Open final (l. to Del Potro), a match in which three championship points went begging, Federer admitted that he struggled to sink his teeth into his opening match in Miami. 

Still there was plenty to be upbeat about. His semi-final victory over Borna Coric in Indian Wells gave Federer his best start to a season (17-0).

“ I feel like I wasn’t feeling good. The ball, I wasn’t feeling. With my movement, things weren’t absolutely working,” Federer said. “Look, it’s disappointing. I don’t know why I could never get to any level that I was happy with today. Sometimes you have these matches. Sometimes you find a way through. I just couldn’t get it done today.

“He was just a bit better than me today. What exactly that was, I think you probably have to break it down to the key moments. He was a bit more relaxed. I was in search mode the whole match. I never got going.”