Not the best way to prep for a game! Argentinian tennis star Juan Martin Del Potro found himself trapped in an elevator with no means of communication on Sunday, August 7, just hours before a big match.
The 27-year-old tennis pro hopped into an Olympic Village elevator and found himself in the dark with no cellphone service for nearly 40 minutes before the Argentinian handball team found and rescued him, his publicist, Jorge Viale, told NBC.
Del Potro was set to face off against Serbian athlete Novak Djokovic in a first-round match, which he was able to make in time, thanks to the handball team.
Excited handballer Fede Pizarro posted a photo of himself with Del Potro and another handball player as proof of the unlikely incident. In the image, the three men smile at the camera; a photo that Viale shared earlier in the day of Potro trapped in the elevator did not look quite so happy.
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
Del Potro is best known for defeating Roger Federer in 2009 to win the U.S. Open.
