Three years without playing, four knee surgeries, and 755th in the ATP

Tennis is a sport full of great geniuses burdened with injuries. The racket world is one of the most difficult places to deal with. It’s the system of influence, which requires a large number of matches and tournaments a year, many days away from home and very long hours with little rest and facing demand and pressure alone, with no teammates who can help.

Because of this, many top players have been affected by the blight of injuries. In fact, it is known as ‘Big Four’, solo Novak Djokovic Getting rid of this ordeal seems to go beyond specific problems. But Roger FedererAnd Rif Nadal the Britain’s Andy Murray They were the victims of these physical judgments that affected their careers.

However, this evil has spread throughout the circle, affecting other world-class players like Stanislas Wawrinka or too Juan Martin del Potro. the Tandil Tower‘It’s one of those unfortunate cases in the ring that could have become a legend and yet still remains a great player. After suffering injuries during the final years of his career, he is now trying to rise from his ashes and reclaim his privileged position in world tennis.

His career has been called to occupy a distinct place in the history of the sport, despite coinciding with the time of the Four Monsters that have dominated the ring for the past fifteen years. But del Potro was destined to be one of the true greats. Injuries have lost him for years along the way, but he never loses hope of returning to the top.

The return of del Potro

Juan Martin del Potro hasn’t played an official match since June 2019. That was in the British Championship the QueenWhen he had to say goodbye to the victim of a serious knee injury, she’s kept him separated ever since and prevented him in his day from being challenged. Big bangs From Wimbledon.

The Argentine genius’ right knee said enough and ended his season. What he certainly could not imagine was that at that moment he was also saying goodbye to the next two years, a pandemic in between. Since that fateful day, he is no longer competing and has now revealed that he hopes to do so very soon, at the start of the 2022 season.

At the moment, she does not have an exact date, although she hopes to be able to do so in February, specifically in Open Buenos Aireswhich will start on the 5th of that month. It is not official yet that Juan Martin can return in the aforementioned competition for Argentina OpenAlthough in the coming weeks he will reveal more details about his return to the slopes, which could take place about 32 months later, roughly three years after his last appearance.

Too long for any athlete, but especially for the winner of the stature “Torre de Tandil”, who became No. 3 in the world in the ATP rankings. In addition, del Potro does not rule out a second appearance to continue accumulating minutes on the track in another great tournament South America. will be in ATP 500 from Rio de Janeiro.

If he returns, del Potro is expected to have few rivals, especially in Brazil, since the tournament has already been able to confirm the presence of stars such as Matteo BerrettiniAnd Casper RoadAnd Carlos Alcaraz’s photo the Pablo Carino. The soaring bosom of a giant who has been living a real ordeal for several years. It would be great to go back to Buenos Aires and then play in Rio as well. This is how the Argentine realized it: “I’m working hard, you know, so we can see each other here. In the coming weeks I’ll tell you how I’m improving.”

An ordeal of injuries

The last meeting of Juan Martín del Potro was on June 19, 2019 against Denis Shapovalov. The Argentine tennis player won 7-5, 6-4, and entered the last 16. After facing the Canadian tennis player, it was expected that his next opponent would be the Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. However, this match did not happen.

In fact, it was the tennis player Toledo who took the lead in that edition of the British Championship after defeating the French in the final. Jill Simon. Del Potro couldn’t even play that match in the quarter-finals after suffering major knee problems that made him stop indefinitely. Before you reach the fourth round of Roland Garros Until the quarter-finals of Masters 1000 de Roma.

After that first contact with Turf considering his participation in Wimbledon, Del Potro recovered from the ordeal of injuries and physical problems he had starred in earlier in his career. Since then, it’s been nearly three years without returning to the slopes and four surgeries on his right leg that nearly brought him into retirement. However, at the age of 33, the person from Tandil is still hoping for a high-profile comeback.

His last step was under the knife in March of this year. Since then, he’s been training with his trusted team in hopes that he can make his comeback and drive a return that would be magical, because at the moment, Del Potro is ranked 755th in the ATP rankings. Without a doubt, a very far position for a tennis player with great quality in his hands.

The Argentine suffers from various problems as a result of a patella fracture that occurred for the first time at the end of 2018, and this was repeated several times in the form of poorly healed cracks, the last of which was in that duel against Shapovalov, which forced him to stop suddenly in his career. After she first had surgery in February 2019, she never fully recovered and continued to feel uncomfortable until Queens had to say enough.

This is not the first time that the Argentine tennis player has been forced into a prolonged hiatus of several years due to injuries, as he experienced a very similar phase a few years ago when problems in his wrist caused his head. As now happened with this fracture of his kneecap, he lived a real nightmare that made him lose hundreds of places in the ATP rankings.

His troubles began in 2010, when he had already become one of the best tennis players in the world. In fact, it reached number 4 in the world ranking. First, he had to take a few months off during that season to try and recover. behind the Australian Open, I tried to come back in April, but the problems didn’t completely go away.

In fact, he had to go to United State To undergo a complex process that forced him to close the year without participating in the major tournaments and give up an infinite number of positions in the standings. He could only run three championships on the course, balancing three wins and three defeats, as he finished the course 258th in the world.

At the beginning of the following season, his fall was even more alarming, reaching 484th place. In 2011 he gradually regained his game as well as his level in the world tennis jigsaw until he returned to the fifties of the last century. Little by little, del Potro seemed to be getting back to what it was.

His full recovery came months later until he reached the best years of his career, returning to resounding successes and establishing him as one of the best in the world. However, in 2014, the worst ghosts returned. Problems with his left wrist reappeared and he had to give up the entire season to recover from a delicate operation that could have put an end to his sporting career.

He was able to return to the slopes after 10 months, although the feelings were not good, as he suffered several setbacks that made him miss the most important tournaments of the first part of the season. In June, he underwent surgery again, prolonging a seemingly endless ordeal.

His career fell into hell at the beginning of 2016 when he took the lowest position in the ranking, specifically 1042. From there, the genius of Tandil had to resurface, based on a lot of effort and overcoming critical moments, the same year he was able to see the light once Another thanks to his tremendous talent. As soon as the physicist respected him, the successes returned. In the same year, he concluded with several championships won and ranked 38th in the world ranking.

new resurrection

Now, Juan Martín del Potro wants to rise from his ashes again. In fact, this is not something I haven’t done many times already. However, this serious knee injury put him to the test in a big way. But the Argentine does not lose his enthusiasm and ambition in the sport of tennis and the elite. His desire to return was engraved with fire.

“I keep training with everything, I have better days than others, but always with the hope of being back on the field at the beginning of next year.” So he recently admitted to a message through his social networks that it was a breath of fresh air and a joy for his followers. The dream is close to becoming a reality.

With his return there is the return of an athlete and a unique tennis player who achieved remarkable achievements in his most difficult times. Her peak in the ring was the third in the world she held in 2018. In her shows, a total of 23 ATP titles appeared, 22 of them won in the singles category and one in the doubles category.

Within this important bundle of victories, his victory in 2009 in US Open In front of a legend like Roger Federer, or his last conquest, again against the Swiss, in the final Masters 1000 D Indian Wells. He has nearly 500 wins in his professional career, and was in the final in Masters Cup In 2009 he also won two Olympic medals, winning the bronze medal in London 2012 and one I earned silver in it Rio de Janeiro 2016. As if that wasn’t enough, he also holds the Davis Cup on his record, which he won in 2016, and a first for his country after the 2008 and 2011 finals, both of which were lost to Spain.

Del Potro hopes to be back on the slopes at the start of the new season and be able to shine in an amazing new recovery. His goal remains to continually return to the Top10 in the coming months and years and to feel like a tennis player against the best in the world.

[Más información: El regreso de Rafa Nadal: su camino hasta el Open de Australia y la incógnita de las molestias en su pie]

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