Juan Martin del Potro opens up on ‘never-ending injury nightmare’ before Novak Djokovic ‘goodbye’ match
Juan Martin del Potro has made some heartbreaking revelations about the “never-ending” injury nightmare he has endured in the last five years.
The 2009 US Open champion divulged that he underwent eight surgeries on his right knee and detailed the brutal effects the issue has had on his everyday life.
Del Potro fractured his right kneecap at the 2018 Shanghai Masters and, after making a successful comeback, injured the knee again when he slipped on the grass at the 2019 Queen’s Club Championships.
After that, del Potro was able to play just one more match — an opening round loss to compatriot Federico Delbonis at the 2022 Argentina Open almost three years later. He was forced to abandon plans for another comeback at the US Open last year.
The Argentine, who won 22 ATP singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of world No 3, was also sidelined for lengthy spells earlier in his career due to serious wrist injuries.
Here are del Potro’s key quotes from an emotional and powerful 11-minute video shared on his Instagram account:
“Nobody knew this, but the day after I played my last match against Delbonis [in 2022], I took a flight to Switzerland and I had my fifth knee surgery (translated from Spanish).
“Since that, I never made my surgeries public again as I found some peace in the press conference before that match against Federico, telling it would probably be my last match.
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“People stopped asking me constantly when I would comeback and play again. I did all this process secretly and if it worked I would announce that I would comeback.
“I was in Switzerland for two months in a village close to Basel trying to rehabilitate and it didn’t work. After two-and-a-half months, I had my sixth surgery. I went back to the USA. More rehab, over 100 injections everywhere. Infiltrations… daily suffering. It’s been my life since that match vs. Federico.
“When I had my first surgery in June [2019], the doctor told me I would play in three months. I even signed in for three indoor tournaments at the end of the year.
“After that first surgery until today, I’ve never been able to go up a set of stairs without pain. It hurts many times when I try to sleep, when I turn on my side, or when I wake up because I get these sharp pains.
“It’s like a never-ending nightmare that I’m trying daily to find solutions and alternatives for, but I can’t find them.
“It all started with that first surgery… every time I think about it, it stirs up so much bad emotion; it makes me really angry, very frustrated, but I can’t change it.
“My daily life isn’t what I would like it to be. I can’t play football, I can’t play Padel. It’s terrible. They took me the chance to do what I loved the most, which was to play tennis.
“It’s very tough. There are moments where I have no more strength. I’m not indestructible. I have good things, bad things, but most of the times I have to fake it and put a good face, but many times I feel terrible.
“Every day when I wake up I have to take six or seven seven pills. Gastric protectors, anti-inflammatories, one for anxiety. Then the pills made me gain weight so they told me to stop eating some things.
“One thing are the stones that can appear in your way, like the injuries that can affect all athletes, but the other thing is the emotional pain. I felt so powerful when facing those obstacles, but after all I understood that I’m not that strong. That knee beat me.
“I had eight surgeries, with doctors all around the world. Every time they gave me the anaesthetic, I hoped that the problem would be solved and after two to three months, I was always calling the doctors to tell them that the surgery didn’t work.
“There are doctors that tell me that I can put a prosthesis so I can regain some life quality. But others tell my that I’m too young for a prosthesis. They tell me to wait until I’m 50.
“But since I was 31, I can’t run, I can’t climb stairs, can’t kick a ball, never played tennis again. I need to wait 15 years more of this? It’s terrible. I hope this will finish someday, because I want to live my life without pain.”
The 36-year-old will face his friend and former rival Novak Djokovic in a farewell exhibition match in Buenos Aires on December 1.
“I want to arrive at that match in the best shape possible,” Del Potro said. “It’s a match to say goodbye.
“Djokovic was very generous in accepting my invitation. I want to give him all the love possible. If at least for one, two or three hours I can be in peace and happy on a tennis court, it will be beautiful.”
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