By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday December 16, 2021
Let the comeback begin! Juan Martin del Potro has announced plans to return to the ATP Tour in 2022. The 2009 US Open champion and former World No.3 will play events at Buenos Aires and Rio during the ATP’s South American swing in February.
Del Potro announced the news on Instagram on Thursday.
“I’ve been training really hard, some days are better than others but always with the hope of coming back to compete early next year,” he said. “It would be very special to come back in Buenos Aires and then play in Rio. As you can imagine, I’m giving my all everyday so we can meet again very soon. I’ll keep you all updated with my progress.”
Del Potro underwent his third right knee surgery last August in Switzerland, to repair an injury to his patella that he originally suffered at Queen’s Club in the summer of 2019.
His last match was a straight set victory over Denis Shapovalov at the Queen’s Club in June of 2019. He has not played competitively in over two and a half years.
The 33-year-old owns a 439-173 record with 22 ATP titles. He reached his career-high ranking of No.3 in the world in August of 2018, a month before he reached the 2018 US Open final.