‘I got Depressed’- Juan Martin Del Potro

Juan Martin Del Potro, who has soared through the ATP rankings this year, has had a tough career, with constant injury related breaks. The Argentine, despite having wrist injuries since the 2010, has bounced back in spectacular fashion, and has cemented his place in the top five of the ATP singles rankings. In an era where the oldies are still outgunning the younger ones, Del Potro is yet another example of the perseverance and desire to win that remains among the old guard.

Del Potro, in an exclusive interview with the GQ magazine, spoke about the difficult times that he had to face, during his career. “I was number four in the world. I had surgery after the Australian Open. I lost that year recovering”, said Del Potro. “I had two more surgeries, but it didn’t help. I was close to quitting tennis because I couldn’t deal with the problem.

Del Potro also said that he battled depression and sadness, despite everything going against him. “I got depressed. I was young, but I was really sad every day. I started looking forward to having a different life because I was suffering so much with my problems”, said Del Potro. Del Potro was close to hanging up his boots, but he kept plodding on. 

“During 2014, I was trying to fix my problems doing different treatments, seeing different doctors, doing everything I could. Finally, in 2015, I say, It’s enough for me. It’s time to close this suffering. I went home to Tandil and I start to think, What else could I do if I’m not a tennis player anymore?‘

‘Two months at home doing nothing, depressed,‘ added the big Argentine. ‘Those were really horrible days. I couldn’t move my wrist. I couldn’t run. I would just wake up and look at the time on my phone. I was suffering a lot with myself.’

However, now the Tandil native has proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with, by reaching the US open finals earlier this month. Del Potro is currently sitting in the fourth spot of the ATP rankings, and is still in with a chance to qualify for the ATP world tour finals.