Juan Martin del Potro was one of the best tennis players of his time. The “Tower of Tandil” was one of the few professionals who even Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic feared. But a real injury nightmare dashed all of the Argentine’s hopes. Looking back still hurts him today.
In an interview with the US broadcaster “ESPN”, the Argentine tennis legend Juan Martin del Potro spoke in detail about the injury problems that had persisted for years, which ultimately ensured that the “What if…?” question still hovers over his career today.
“When you win a Grand Slam, things change a lot. Even contracts that require you to take part in a tournament. Your equipment company calls you, your racket manufacturer and the ATP. Plus, you lose a lot of points if you don’t play tournaments, so you regret it in March and ask yourself: ‘Why didn’t I compete?’,” said the 2009 US Open winner.
“And then the whole nightmare began”
Del Potro then spoke of a momentous mistake that ultimately ended his career. “When I reached the final of the 2018 US Open, I was number three in the world and completely exhausted. I still went on the Asian tour because I imagined that I could be number one after the Australian Open 2019. There was a mathematical chance that I would be number one if I played those tournaments [in Asien] games,” said the Argentine.
What he didn’t consider, however, was that his body had reached its limit. His journey to “Asian swing” ended tragically. “That’s where I fell, broke my kneecap and had to stop. And then the whole nightmare with my leg began,” said the “Tower of Tandil” about the following years, in which one piece of bad news followed the next. In 2019 he tried to briefly restart his career, but his body no longer cooperated. Three years later he announced the end of his career.
Tennis legend del Potro is still suffering today
In previous years, del Potro had repeatedly been slowed down by minor and major injuries. He explained that he had received “several injections” during these years. “A lot of knee injuries and I had three operations on my wrist. […] These were short-term solutions that created long-term problems.”
In the long term, because he still suffers from it today. “I don’t do sports anymore. I don’t run, I still suffer when I climb stairs. I live a very reserved life because it’s the only way to avoid pain,” said del Potro, who is still looking for treatments that can ease his suffering. “I go to hospitals and they just say: ‘You again! We don’t know what else we can do for you’.”
