Argentine tennis player Juan Martin del Potro announced this Saturday, between tears, that his return to professional tennis this Tuesday after 962 days of absence of the circuit, it may be the beginning of his farewell, which he hopes to confirm after playing the ATP in Buenos Aires and then the tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
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The contest in Buenos Aires, which begins this Monday, will mark its return after little more than two years off the pitchsince his last game was played on June 19, 2019.
The tournament in Rio de Janeiro, whose organizers announced on Monday the presence of Del Potro as one of the attractions, will be played from February 14 to 20.
A return that seems more like a farewell
The ‘tower of Tandil’33, announced his decision on Saturday during a press conference prior to the start of the competition in Buenos Aires, in whose first round he will face his compatriot Federico Delbonis on Tuesday.
“This return to tennis may not be like that. Perhaps it will be a farewell more than a return”He said.
Del Potro attributed his decision to problems with his right knee. “This is one of the most difficult messages that I have had to transmit. I’m retiring from tennis. I’ve had a nightmare with my knee and I’ve tried everything to recover, but it hasn’t been possible. I never imagined a withdrawal if it was not playing.
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I am retiring from tennis. I’ve had a nightmare with my knee and I’ve tried everything to recover, but it hasn’t been possible.
“I have not found a better tournament than the one in Buenos Aires to do it”said the Argentine through tears.
“I couldn’t ask for anything else than to play on Tuesday with a friend like Fede (Delbonis), because with him we lived the most unforgettable days as tennis players. And Tuesday will be another day,” added the former number three in the world, champion of the Cup Davis and double olympic medalist.
“My essence will be play and win until the last point. I will want to win. With this injury I always said that I would not lower my arms. The farewell had to be on a court and not at a conference. I played this tournament almost at the beginning of my career. I always saw it when I was little and I wanted them to make it in cement to play it. I’m happy to feel like a player for at least a few more days,” added the 2009 US Open champion.
Del Potro admitted that he will continue to consult doctors in search of a cure for his knee, as Scotsman Andy Murray and Spaniard Pablo Andújar, who underwent five elbow operations, have done for his injuries. “One day things can change”he said hopefully.
“The clearest message I want to give is that I am going to play in Buenos Aires. I am going to play in Rio and let them know that, unlike other times, today there is a concrete possibility of making a cut. I don’t think about the future“, concluded the Argentine tennis player who left the conference room with a closed applause.
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*With information from EFE
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