Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has admitted that it isn’t guaranteed that he will return back towards the top of the rankings following his latest injury woe.
The Argentine hasn’t played on the tour since fracturing his right patella at the Fever-Tree Championships in June. The second time he has done so within the past 12 months. Shortly after his latest injury, Del Potro opted to undergo surgery in order to speed up his recovery. A ‘bone fragment’ was removed during the procedure.
Originally the 31-year-old aimed to return to competitive tennis this week at the Stockholm Open, which he won in 2016 and 2017. However, the comeback was delayed following medical advice issued to his team.
“After some tests, including on-court exercises supervised by Dr. Angel Ruiz Cotorro, the right knee was shown great signs of a solid recovery.” A statement reads.
“Now they will be able to take the next step in the recovery stage and create a rehabilitation program that is more intense with the goal to make Juan Martin competing again as soon as possible.
“Despite Juan Martin’s wishes, he has been recommended not to compete in October and continue with the current plan.”
Now aiming for a January return, Del Potro is staying cautious about the prospect of breaking back into the top 10 in the ATP rankings. Even though he did so in January 2018 following a lengthy absence due to a serious wrist injury. Over a two-year period (2014-2015) he underwent four surgeries on his wrists and has missed more than three years of the tour due to various physical problems since 2010.
“I never expect to return to the Top 10 after all my problems. It’s not easy to repeat a similar year but you never know if I am still in good shape and I am feeling healthy.” Del Potro said during an interview with ESPN.
“I have the strength enough to reach how good I can be in the future. I’m getting older but I still feel that I can play good tennis and that’s my motivation.” He added.
Del Potro is currently training on the practice courts and was recently seen hitting on the clay. Next month he is set to play Roger Federer in an exhibition match held at the Parque Roca Stadium in Buenos Aires.
https://twitter.com/delpotrojuan/status/1184155232504295426
This week Del Potro is currently ranked 121st in the world. He closes the year out by playing in just five tournaments. Winning eight out of 12 matches played. He reached the quarter-finals of events in Delray Beach and Rome, as well as the fourth round of the French Open.
Injury timeline
-Jan-Sep 10: right wrist (8 months)
-Feb-Jan 14-15: Left wrist (11 months)
-Mar-Feb 15-16: left wrist (11 months)
-Oct-Feb 18-19: right knee (4 months)
-Feb-Apr 19: right knee (2 months)
-June 19 – now: right knee (5 months*)
*Ongoing injury
