The long-awaited return of Juan Martin del Potro to professional tennis will take place next week where he is set to play his first competitive match in more than 30 months.
The former US Open champion has taken a wildcard to play in the Argentina Open, as well as the Rio Open in Brazil. Del Potro has been absent from the Tour since June 2019 after seriously injuring his knee at the Cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club. Since then, the Argentine has had to undergo four surgeries on his knee in a bid to continue his career.
“It’s going to be so special to come back to the tour in Buenos Aires and also play Rio. I worked at lot and made every effort to be with you during the coming weeks. Rio de Janeiro has a special place in my heart and I look forward to being with you and play Rio Open for the first time,” Del Potro said in a statement published on the Rio Open website.
The return to the Argentina Open next week will be the first time Del Potro has played in the tournament since 2006 when he was 17. According to the ITF, he hasn’t played a competitive match in his home country since taking part in a 2012 Davis Cup tie against the Czech Republic.
Shortly after it was confirmed that Del Potro would be playing in Buenos Aires, local media reported that a website supplying tickets for the event crashed due to a sudden surge in visitors.
“It is very good for the tournament to have Juan Martín. It is very important news for Argentine tennis,” tournament director Martín Jaite told TYC Sports.
Luiz Carvalho is the tournament director of the Rio Open, which follows immediately after the conclusion of Buenos Aires. The Brazilian says having the former Grand Slam champion play in his tournament is a ‘dream.’
“It was always a dream to have Del Potro playing the Rio Open and we worked at lot for this,” said Carvalho “Since we reached the agreement that he would his return to the tour in South America we have been following the long process of the knee recovery, hoping that he would be 100% in February. I hope the Brazilian public, who are so fond of him will make the most of the opportunity to see him in action in Rio.”
Throughout his entire career, Del Potro’s rise in the sport has been hampered by injuries and surgery. He was just 20-years-old when he stunned Roger Federer in five sets to win the 2009 US Open. However, since then he has experienced long spells away from the Tour. Besides multiple knee operations, he has also undergone one right wrist and three left wrist surgeries. He was named the ATP’s comeback player of the year in 2011 and 2016.
Despite his multiple setbacks, Del Potro has won 22 titles on the ATP Tour, reached a ranking high of third and is a two-time Olympic medallist. He has also earned more prize money than any other Argentine player in history.
