Del Potro has not played since he suffered a serious knee injury at London’s Queen’s in June 2019. He has now undergone four operations on the joint. The former number three in the world has fallen to 757th place in the ATP ranking.
Del Potro had to deal with serious injuries several times in his career. ,,But a new spectacular comeback is now out of the question, I’m afraid. I want to be able to say goodbye on the track, not at a press conference. That’s why I still play those last two tournaments. Then we’ll see what the future brings,” said an emotional Del Potro.
,,I still have the will to continue, but that knee has become a nightmare. Several doctors have tried everything, but I’ve been in pain for two and a half years now. Quitting tennis will be a difficult decision, but I want to be able to live as a normal 33-year-old man without pain.”
Del Potro played 35 ATP finals, winning 22 of them. In 2009 he won the US Open and nine years later reached the final of the same tournament. He made it to the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. In 2016 he won silver at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, four years after beating Novak Djokovic in London for bronze.
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