It’s no big secret that Juan Martin Del Potro continues to deal with an ongoing wrist injury that has forced him out of play since the Australian Open. But as the tennis community waits to hear on when the winner of last’s year’s U.S. Open will officially return, the actual communication of his progress is turning into its own news story as the past weeks have been filled with rumors, off the record confessions and varying stories on what is actually going on. In fact, the sloppy way Del Potro and his team are managing the media side of this injury could end up doing more damage to the star than his tender wrist.
The latest report coming from Clarins.com, an Argentinian news site, is that Del Potro will fly this week to Rochester, New York to meet noted wrist specialist Dr. Richard Berger who will assess the problem diagnosed (by some sources) as acute tendinitis. The website goes on to say that surgery could be a real possibility and, if that happens, Del Potro may miss out on the rest of the season. Also in the story was a revelation by a source in Del Potro’s camp, who wished to remain unidentified, that the star recently suffered from panic attacks as result of dealing with the injury and his new found fame and fortune. The attacks have since ceased but it’s hard to know what to believe when the information being provided is not coming from an official source. Ugo Colombini, Del Potro’s manager, did say that he hopes to know more after Del Potro meets with the doctor on Tuesday.
It’s understandable that Del Porto’s team would want to wait on a second medical opinion before announcing any major news regarding Del Potro’s wrist, but Del Potro’s team should manage the situation in proactive way rather than have rumors seep out from their camp. It surprised me that Del Potro still doesn’t have his own official website. I’m not saying it has to be fancy, but it would be better to use that as the platform for updates. They should take a clue from Dinara Safina who during her recent injury saga with her lower back kept a low profile but finally used her website to inform everyone on how she was progressing with treatment.
After his U.S. Open win, I wondered how Del Potro, who is still very young and somewhat shy, would handle the instant spotlight and stardom thrust upon him. Although it’s very unfortunate what has happened and everyone hopes for a speedy recovery, like it or not, Del Potro is in the public eye and he and his team need to find a better balance between guarding and sharing information with his fans and the press.
Click here to read the Clarins article though translation may be needed.
Erik Gudris is a writer and media consultant based in Los Angeles and is the moderator for Adjustingthenet.com.