After recent speculation, Juan Martin Del Potro has confirmed that he will not play in this month’s French Open.
The former world No.4 returned to the tour earlier this year after another lengthy absence due to a wrist injury. Last month he ended his three-year hiatus from clay court events by reaching the quarterfinals at the Munich Open. It has been a successful return to the clay for the Argentine, who also defeated Dominic Thiem in the first round of the Madrid Masters. Thiem was the first top-20 player that Del Potro has defeated since Fabio Fognini at the 2015 Brisbane International.
Despite his success on the clay, Del Potro has already switched his focus to the grass. He plans to play several consecutive tournaments on the grass for the first time since his loss to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2013 Wimbledon championships. Due to his hectic grass schedule, which is still to be finalized, the 27-year-old has decided to skip Roland Garros.
The former US Open champion has also publicly stated his availability for Argentina’s upcoming Davis Cup clash against Italy. The tie is scheduled to start on July 15th at the Circolo Tennis Baratoff in Pesaro, Italy. If he is selected, Del Potro will play in the event for the first time since 2012.
A message for you. pic.twitter.com/2QI8bleIvU
— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) May 12, 2016
During his career, Del Potro has played in 25 finals on the ATP Tour, however, none of them have occurred on the grass.
Since his return to the tour in February, Del Potro has already climbed over 800 places in the ATP rankings from 1042 to 229. This season the Argentine currently has a win-loss record of 8-5 and has defeated three top-50 players (Jeremy Chardy, Guido Pella and Dominic Thiem).
