Former world tennis No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro has detailed the heartbreaking toll accidents are taking up his day-to-day life.
The 36-year-old performed his final skilled match in February 2022 after years of battling to beat debilitating knee accidents.
The Argentine ace fractured his proper kneecap throughout the 2018 Shanghai Masters and whereas he made a profitable return, he injured his knee once more throughout the 2019 Queen’s Membership Championships after slipping on the grass.
The 2009 US Open champion took to social media to share the “never-ending” nightmare he’s pressured to endure every day after present process eight surgical procedures.
“Nobody knew this, but the day after I played my last match against [Federico] Delbonis (in 2022), I took a flight to Switzerland and I had my fifth knee surgery,” Del Potro stated.
“Since that, I by no means made my surgical procedures public once more as I discovered some peace within the press convention earlier than that match towards Federico, telling it will most likely be my final match. Folks stopped asking me consistently after I would comeback and play once more. I did all this course of secretly and if it labored I might announce that I might come again.
“I used to be in Switzerland for 2 months in a village near Basel making an attempt to rehabilitate and it didn’t work. After two-and-a-half months, I had my sixth surgical procedure. I went again to the USA. Extra rehab, over 100 injections in every single place. Infiltrations … every day struggling. It’s been my life since that match vs. Federico.
“Once I had my first surgical procedure in June (2019), the physician instructed me I might play in three months. I even signed in for 3 indoor tournaments on the finish of the 12 months.
“After that first surgical procedure till right this moment, I’ve by no means been capable of go up a set of stairs with out ache. It hurts many occasions when I attempt to sleep, after I activate my facet, or after I get up as a result of I get these sharp pains. It’s like a unending nightmare that I’m making an attempt every day to seek out options and options for, however I can’t discover them.
“It began with that first surgical procedure … each time I give it some thought, it stirs up a lot unhealthy emotion; it makes me actually indignant, very annoyed, however I can’t change it. My every day life isn’t what I would really like it to be. I can’t play (soccer), I can’t play Padel. It’s horrible. They took me the possibility to do what I liked essentially the most, which was to play tennis.
“It’s very robust. There are moments the place I’ve no extra power. I’m not indestructible. I’ve good issues, unhealthy issues, however many of the occasions I’ve to faux it and put face, however many occasions I really feel horrible.
“Day by day after I get up I’ve to take six or seven capsules. Gastric protectors, anti-inflammatories, one for nervousness. Then the capsules made me acquire weight so that they instructed me to cease consuming some issues.
“One factor are the (obstacles) that may seem in your manner, just like the accidents that may have an effect on all athletes, however the different factor is the emotional ache. I felt so highly effective when going through these obstacles, however in any case I understood that I’m not that robust. That knee beat me.
“I had eight surgical procedures, with medical doctors all around the globe. Each time they gave me the anesthetic, I hoped that the issue can be solved and after two to a few months, I used to be all the time calling the medical doctors to inform them that the surgical procedure didn’t work.
“There are medical doctors that inform me that I can put a prosthesis so I can regain some life high quality. However others inform my that I’m too younger for a prosthesis. They inform me to attend till 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.”
Del Potro’s heartbreaking reveal rapidly unfold throughout the web.
Journalist Jose Morgado wrote on X: “Juan Martin del Potro on Instagram telling the story of how his career had to end way earlier than he deserved. Strong and emotional. Tough not to cry.”
Tennis TV’s Bastien Fachan wrote: “Juan Martin del Potro once had the world on a string. He’d just become the first man to beat (Federer and Nadal) in the same Grand Slam. He was a first-time champion at 20. His tennis dreams long gone, he now wakes up in pain every day and is considering prosthesis surgery. Man, how unfair.”
Del Potro is now getting ready to return to the courtroom to tackle good friend and former rival Novak Djokovic in a farewell exhibition match in Buenos Aires on Dec. 1.
“I started my diet, I’m losing weight, I’m training. I want to arrive at that match in the best shape possible. It’s a match to say goodbye,” he stated.
“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 at peace and happy on a tennis court, it will be beautiful.”
