Juan Martin del Potro has revealed that the Argentina Open could mark his farewell from tennis as he attempts to come back from a devastating knee injury.
The 33-year-old former world, No. 3 will return from almost three years on the sidelines when he meets fellow Argentine and former Davis CUp teammate Federico Delbonis in the first round of the ATP 250 event on Tuesday in Buenos Aires.
“I have been feeling it and imagining it for a long time and it may be more of a farewell than a return,” an emotional Del Potro told a news conference on Saturday. “I have been putting in a big effort to make progress and the knee has been turning my life into a nightmare.”
The 2009 US Open champion has not played competitively since June 2019, when he suffered a fractured right patella for the second time in nine months during the Queen’s ATP 500 tournament in London.
He has since undergone four operations, the most recent of which took place in Chicago last March.
“I never imagined a possible retirement from tennis that wasn’t while playing on a court and I couldn’t find a better tournament than the one in Buenos Aires to do it,” he said.
“These next few weeks we will see what happens with my future. I can’t wait to get on the court on Tuesday to relive what I’ve done for my whole life. I love this sport and I will be trying to win until the last point.”
Del Potro’s life, career and persistence through his injury-ridden career is documented in the book “Juan Martin del Potro: The Gentle Giant” by Sebastian Torok here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559920/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_ETMHMM5ZVPJ5MP142Y07 via Amazon,com
