Juan Martin del Potro: Former US Open champion to return to ATP Tour for first time since 2019 | Tennis News

Del Potro, the former world No 3, play an ATP 250 event on home soil in Argentina before making his debut at the Rio Open in Brazil; 33-year-old hasn’t played since the Queen’s Club Championships in June 2019

Juan Martin del Potro is set to return after more than a two-and-a-half-year absence from the ATP Tour

Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will return to ATP Tour action for the first time since 2019 this month after being handed wild cards to two clay court events.

Del Potro, who won the US Open in 2009, has undergone knee surgery four times since his last appearance at Queen’s Club Championships in June 2019.

The 33-year-old will compete on home soil at the Argentina Open next week, an ATP 250 event, before making his debut at the Rio Open in Brazil – an ATP 500 tournament – on February 14.

“It’s going to be so special to come back to the tour in Buenos Aires and also play Rio,” Del Potro said in a statement. “I worked at lot and made every effort to be with you during the coming weeks.

“Rio de Janeiro has a special place in my heart and I look forward to being with you and play the Rio Open for the first time.”

The former world No 3, who has won 22 singles titles in his career and lost to Andy Murray in the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics, has since dropped to 757th in the ATP world rankings.

Del Potro, a six-time Grand Slam semi-finalist and runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2018 US Open, has also been blighted by wrist injuries during his career.

Thiem delays ATP Tour comeback

Former world No 3 Dominic Thiem has delayed his return to ATP Tour action after withdrawing from the Cordoba Open due to a right finger injury.

Thiem had been due to make his first start of the ATP Tour season this week in Argentina

Thiem, who was second seed for the ATP 250 clay-court event, has not competed since suffering a right wrist injury at the Mallorca Championships last June. The Austrian had been training in Cordoba but will now be replaced in the draw by a lucky loser.

“In the last days, I suffered a minor injury between my knuckles, a little strain of my ligament,” Thiem said. “The positive thing is the wrist is perfectly fine, but I’m suffering pain in my hand and also lacking practice, so I have to pull out.

“I’m very sad, but I’m going to come back once I’m 100 per cent fit, and thank you so much for the great and warm welcome I had here in Cordoba.”

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