Feb 11 (Reuters) – Argentine tennis player Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn from next week’s Rio Open, tournament organizers said on Friday, likely ending a once-promising career that has seen marred by a series of serious injuries.
The former US Open champion, who lost on his return in the first round of the Argentina Open on Tuesday, had previously said the Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro events would possibly be his last.
“Juan Martin Del Potro unfortunately will not compete in the Rio Open. It has always been a dream to have him with us and we have been very close to being able to do so,” the organizers of the Rio de Janeiro ATP 500 said in a statement.
“We wish you much success in the future and we know that the doors of the Rio Open will always be open for you,” they added.
The 33-year-old Argentine, who won at Flushing Meadows in 2009, has struggled with a knee injury in recent years, and the loss to compatriot Federico Delbonis this week was his first match since March 2019.
Asked if the fans will see him play again, Del Potro said after the loss in Buenos Aires that “today is a full stop. Now I have to take care of the knee for my life, for the day to day. to leave the window open in tennis because what I experienced tonight is unforgettable. If today was my last game, I’m leaving happy”.
After turning professional in 2005, del Potro won 22 titles and also reached the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; edited in Spanish by Carlos Serrano)
