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LONDON, ENGLAND: Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina looks on during his First Round Singles Match against Denis Shapovalov of Canada during day Three of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queens Club in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND: Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina looks on during his First Round Singles Match against Denis Shapovalov of Canada during day Three of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queens Club in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The long list of withdrawals from Tokyo Olympics this year continue as former top-10 player Juan Martin del Potro announced his exit from the prestigious event. Through his withdrawal, the Argentinian joins the long list of players like Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Denis Shapovalov, Gael Monfils, etc. who weren’t willing to play the Olympics for different reasons.
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Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina returns the ball during his men’s singles fourth round match against Borna Coric of Croatia on Day Seven of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Coming to del Potro, the reason for his exit was his health. Having undergone a surgery to his right knee three months ago, the 2009 US Open winner put himself into rehab and tried his best to be in the best shape for the remainder of the season.
Juan Martin del Potro announces his withdrawal from Tokyo Olympics
The Argentinian even mentioned in several interviews that he was targeting a solid comeback at the Tokyo Olympics. However, after due consultation with his trainers and surgeon, del Potro’s team announced that he won’t be participating at the Summer Olympics this year.
Moments ago, del Potro’s team announced the news on Twitter.
Queríamos contarles que los tiempos no alcanzaron y Delpo no podrá jugar los Juegos Olímpicos. Su médico está muy conforme con los avances de la rodilla pero recomendó que Juan Martín no participe en #Tokyo2020 . ¡Gracias por sus mensajes, esto sigue! ✊@delpotrojuan#delpo
— TeamDelpo (@teamdelpo) June 22, 2021
It’s indeed a sad news for del Potro’s fans. But, good times are ahead as he is training hard to make an impact in the last leg of his career as a professional tennis player.
Juan Martin Del Potro out of #Tokyo2020.
Team Delpo:
“The knee rehab is going well according to the doctor’s plan but he suggested Juan Martin to go on with his rehab process and training, and skip Tokyo”
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) June 22, 2021
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The Argentinian reached the finals at 2016 Rio Olympics, where he lost to Andy Murray and had to settle with the silver medal. Despite the Olympics withdrawal, del Potro will have a lot to look forward to in this year once he becomes fully fit.
The US hard-court season, which begins after the Olympics, will be a significant opportunity for del Potro to get back to winning ways. Even though the Argentinian is an all-court player, he has a better record on hard courts than the other two natural surfaces.
Juan Martin del Potro won his last ATP tour title on a hard-court as well. At the 2018 Indian Wells event, del Potro defeated Roger Federer in a tough, three-set encounter to clinch his first Masters 1000 title.
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In a career marred with injuries, it’s amazing to see the amount of effort put by del Potro to make a solid return on the ATP tour.
