When Juan Martin del Potro suffered a straight sets loss to Benoit Paire at the 2013 Rome Masters, little did he know that it would be his last match on clay for almost three years.
Blighted by a troublesome wrist injury, the former US Open champion has been forced to miss the last two seasons on the clay due to the issue. Fortunately, things are looking up for the Argentine, who reached the semifinals of the Delray Beach Open in his comeback tournament earlier this year.
Currently standing with a 2016 win-loss of 5-3 from three tournaments, del Potro’s next target are the European clay courts. The 27-year-old confirmed on Tuesday that he will return to the clay at the Munich Open in Germany, an ATP 250 event, followed by the Madrid Masters.
“I am really happy to tell you that Munich and Madrid will be my first two clay tournaments after a long time… I’ve been practising on clay for a week now after years of not playing on this surface and I will keep getting better in the next few days,” The former world No.4 wrote on Facebook.
Del Potro’s current clay court record is more solid than spectacular. Out of his 18 ATP titles, two of the triumphs have occurred on clay (Stuttgart and Kitzbuhel in 2008). He has also experienced success at the Madrid Masters, reaching the semifinals of the event in 2009 and 2012. In the headline event of the clay season, the French Open, the Argentines best result was a semifinal appearance at the 2009 championships.
The return from injury is still an ongoing process for the 2009 US Open champion. Candidly admitting in the past that it will take him some time to get back to his full ability, the signs are encouraging for the beloved Argentine.
“Rehab on my wrist is going as planned. Although I must be patient I am thrilled to be able to confirm two tournaments in a row, the first time I do this since I came back to tennis,” Del Potro added in his Facebook post.
The Munich Open, known also as the BMW Open, will get underway on April 25th. Del Potro will be expecting a testing tournament with four top-20 players confirmed for the German event (David Goffin, Dominic Thiem, Gael Monfils and Roberto Bautista Agut).
Del Potro practicing on clay
First week of practice on clay for @delpotrojuan. He hasn’t played on this surface since 2013. pic.twitter.com/8kpZbTvPZl
— Jorge Viale (@jorgeviale) 8 April 2016
