The Argentine tennis player confesses a physical ordeal that has him very close to retirement after Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro
MADRID, 5 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Argentine tennis player Juan Martín del Potro confessed this Saturday his more than likely professional retirement after “many years” living a “nightmare” due to physical problems, despite the fact that this week he announced his return to the courts for the ATP tournaments in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
‘Delpo’ spoke at a press conference prior to the start of the Argentine tournament next week to give the important news. “I have been feeling and imagining one of the most difficult ones that I have to face and transmit for a long time. Everyone expects me to return to tennis, possibly it will not be like that, and perhaps it will be more of a farewell than a return,” he said.
The Tower of Tandil remained standing despite the emotion that went through it from top to bottom during the press conference, holding back tears to acknowledge that it will not be able to continue the battle despite the fact that it will compete again from June 2019.
“I’ve been making too much effort to be able to move on and my knee has me living a nightmare. I’ve been trying alternatives, treatments, doctors and different ways to solve it for many years, but I can’t,” he confessed.
“I never imagined retiring from tennis if it wasn’t playing and on the court, and I couldn’t find a better tournament than the one in Buenos Aires to do it. After these weeks, God will tell what happens to my future, but today I have to choose to live as a a 33-year-old person, trying not to have pain, and not like a professional athlete who to this day sits down and that’s why I never lowered my arms. It’s a difficult decision,” he added.
Del Potro confessed that he is also registered in Rio de Janeiro with the intention of playing in another special place, where he won the Olympic silver medal in 2016. The 2009 US Open champion confessed the difficulty in “dealing with the pain” in his daily life, without closing the door to the appearance of a solution or a change for the better.