Juan Martin Del Potro takes ‘final bow’

Argentine great Juan Martin del Potro made a losing return to tennis after a two-and-a-half-year injury absence on Tuesday, beaten in straight sets by compatriot Federico Delbonis in the Argentina Open.

In what was expected to be one of Del Potro’s final appearances before retiring, the 33-year-old former US Open champion was overcome with emotion towards the end of Delbonis’s 6-1, 6-3 victory in 1hr 23min.

The former world number three wiped away tears as he prepared to serve what turned out to be the final game of the match.

After Delbonis sealed the victory, Del Potro embraced his opponent before waving to the crowd on the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club’s Guillermo Vilas court.

“Possibly we may not meet again,” Del Potro told fans afterward.

“Today I gave everything I had, until the last point. I’m happy because my last game was probably on a tennis court in front of all of you, and not in a press conference. I’ll always remember you,” he added.

Del Potro signalled at the weekend he plans to retire soon after this week’s tournament, describing his comeback as “more a farewell than a return”.

He was given a loud ovation as he walked on court by a packed crowd but was unable to deliver what would have been a fairytale win.

Del Potro said he wants to see how his surgically-repaired knee feels on Wednesday before deciding whether to play in next week’s Rio Open in Brazil.

“I will speak to doctors again. I have to take care of my knee and then we will see,” said Del Potro. “I will always leave the window open.

“If today was the last time I will leave happy.”

After taking the opening game with a break of serve, Del Potro was hampered by his lack of mobility thereafter, with Delbonis rattling off three breaks of serve to win the first set in 33 minutes.

Del Potro put up stronger resistance in the second set, but was ultimately overpowered by Delbonis.

Tuesday’s defeat was Del Potro’s first event since fracturing his kneecap in June 2019 at Queen’s in London.

Del Potro, who beat Roger Federer in the 2009 US Open final, said his knee troubles had left him “living a nightmare” with four surgeries seeing his world ranking slip to 757.

Grand Slam victory followed by injuries

Del Potro made his mark in the world when he won the US Open in 2009 in a spectacular fashion. This was the time when he was performing really well in the courts.

In the semifinal, the then 20-year-old crushed Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. After which the next day’s final was a bit more challenging for the Argentinian.

He was rallying from two sets to one down and went on to derail Swiss tennis great Federer who was in the quest for a historic sixth straight US Open title.

He defeated the five-time successive champion with a score of 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

The Grand Slam victory raised the expectations from del Potro, however, nature had planned something else for him.

Other than the major event’s triumph, he also won two other tour events in the same year as well.

The two-time Olympic medalist suffered from a series of injuries over the past decade, which halted his career’s proceedings and he was not able to deliver to his abilities.

The devastating injuries forced del Potro to miss not only months but years of his best tennis. Ranked No. 5 at the start of 2010, by was at No. 258 by the end.

Back again to No. 5 at as 2014 began, two years later, he was outside the Top 600 less than two years later. Up once more to No. 5 by the end of 2018, he ended 2019 at No. 122.

Though he reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in August 2018.

Injury Timeline:

• May 4, 2010: right wrist surgery
• March 24, 2014: joint surgery on left wrist
• January 20, 2015: ligament surgery on the left wrist
• June 18, 2015: tendon surgery on the right wrist
• June 22, 2019: right knee surgery
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• January 27, 2020: right knee surgery
• August 26, 2020: right knee surgery