Juan Martin del Potro spent 40 minutes trapped in an elevator before his match

Juan Martin del Potro’s Sunday did not get off to a great start, as the Argentinean tennis player was trapped in an elevator in the Olympic Village for 40 minutes ahead of his match with world No. 1 Novak Djokivic.
The former U.S. Open winner had no means of communicating with the outside world while trapped in the malfunctioning lift, but he was eventually discovered and rescued by two members of his nation’s handball team.
This is how Delpo started the day: trapped in an elevator at the Olympic village for 40 minutes. pic.twitter.com/EFNmOKqIwE
— Jorge Viale (@jorgeviale) August 7, 2016
Se corto la luz y alguien quedo encerrado,, llegamos los gladiadores al rescate de @delpotrojuan cc @MilanoGuille pic.twitter.com/lViLHBHKz9
— Fede Pizarro (@fedepizarro03) August 7, 2016
Perhaps having some distraction-free time is just what Del Potro needed as the oft-injured star took out Djokovic 7–6, 7–6 to advance to the next round of the Olympic tournament.
Del Potro will fan Portugal’s Joao Sousa on Monday as he continues his quest for gold.

Brendan Maloy covers odd minor league promotions, athletes' Instagram accounts and others sports adjacent ephemera.