But in May Giuliano Amato, the treasury minister, caused a stir when he admitted to his European counterparts that because of its slow growth Italy would miss the 2% target.
The virus affecting Del Potro had prompted the tall right-hander to miss recent tournaments in Portugal and Madrid, and he returned in Italy with the hope of being able to compete at the French Open.
Meanwhile, in the eurozone, Greece and Italy no sooner seemed to be out of the woods when Spain warned Friday morning that it will miss the deficit targets it promised the EU for 2012.