Juan Martin del Potro plans sensational comeback for the US Open 2023: “I’ll see if I can play”

Asked about a possible return, del Potro reveals: “I still have time. I will start training and see how the leg and knee react and whether I can play or not.”

The 34-year-old has not played a match on the ATP tour since February 2022. At that time he lost in Buenos Aires against his compatriot Federico Delbonis 1:6 and 3:6. With tears in his eyes, del Potro played the final service game before exiting the court in pain.

“The physical issues are something I work on every day,” said del Potro. According to his own statements, the former Grand Slam winner has not yet forgotten how to play tennis: “It will never be a problem to pick up a racket and see how I feel.”

In 2018 del Potro was at the peak of his career. With 1,000 points behind Roger Federer and almost 5,000 points behind Rafael Nadal, he held third place in the world rankings for a few weeks before being overtaken by Novak Djokovic.

Del Potro in the shadow of the “Big Three”

“The only thing I failed at is becoming number one in the world,” explained del Potro at a Roland Garros Junior Series event in Sao Paolo. “It was always a dream and I’ve always worked for it. I’m proud of my career and I never made it because there was either Federer, Nadal or Djokovic.”

“When I look at the rankings and the years of my career and those who fought for first place, I see that it was nice that it was the three that didn’t make my dream come true.” With 20 and 22 Grand Slam titles each, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are considered the greatest players of all time.

In 2009, del Potro won the US Open and, in addition to his Grand Slam triumph, won many other titles such as the Davis Cup with Argentina in 2016. The 34-year-old is not one of the realistic contenders for victory in 2023. A comeback, however seems quite possible in the absence of further injuries.