Roger Federer says Juan Martin del Potro is back "to his old self" as far as his backhand is concerned, and also back to the top of the men's game.
Del Potro defeated Federer in three tight, tense sets to win Indian Wells, the first Masters 1000 title of his career.
The Argentine returned to tour from three wrist procedures in 2016, and could not swing freely with his two-handed backhand when he first came back. Since then, he has gradually improved the stroke, and is now hitting most of his backhands with topspin, rather than slicing it as he had been doing.
"I mean, look, in the beginning he was chipping a lot, for quite a while, actually," said Federer. "But I feel like he's finally there.
"I feel like he looks good on the backhand now. Basically to his old self, really. Yeah, I mean, I just think it was, for him, probably a confidence thing, you know, on the backhand side."
Match point from del Potro's win over Federer in Indian Wells:
