Juan Martin Del Potro has remained optimistic ahead of the Masters 1000 event in Rome despite recent knee problems.
The Argentinian returned to the ATP tour, in singles and doubles, last week in Madrid after three months out with a knee injury.
Despite losing in a three set battle to Serbia’s Laslo Djere, it was a positive step as he looks to return to tennis without any setbacks.
Speaking in his press conference in Rome, Del Potro admits that he was surprised at how long it took him to return to the tour, “I struggled to recover more than expected from the problem of the knee,” Del Potro explained.
“Obviously it’s going to be difficult, but I’m optimistic about my chances, my game is getting better with each training day and I know I have to work hard to reach my best level as soon as possible.”
It won’t be an easy task for Del Potro as he has quarter-final points to defend this week and will face Stan Wawrinka or David Goffin in his first match.
A tough assignment for a player who needs match time and wins to build his confidence ahead of the second grand slam of the season.
But for the former US Open champion he says this week is a chance to regain his physical fitness rather than win matches, “To be honest, I must say that I do not expect a great result in this tournament, I just need to feel good about myself and be comfortable on the court, play as many games as possible and enjoy this sport again.”
The 7th seed at this week’s tournament in Italy also talked about Rafael Nadal and said that he remains favourite to win at Roland Garros despite his recent form, “It’s not that weird that Rafa has not been able to win a tournament,” Del Potro said.
“There’s a lot of competition, more and more young players who can do very well on this surface, but I still consider him the favourite to win at Roland Garros 2019.”
The Spaniard enters Rome having not won a tournament this season and will start his Rome campaign against either Richard Gasquet or Jeremy Chardy.
