Juan Martin del Potro, who was last seen in the Australian Open eight months ago, will be playing at the Thailand Open in Bangkok this week. The Argentinean former U.S. Open champion, 22, suffered a wrist injury which he had surgery to try to cure the problem in May.
Del Potro told the ATP World Tour that he is "very happy to be back at a tournament again for the first time in eight months." Del Potro is the only man other than Rafael Nadal to beat Roger Federer in the final of a Grand Slam tournament. He did so at the U.S. Open last September. He finished the 2009 season with a career high world ranking of five, but has since been delegated to 35th due to his time on the sidelines.
Monday August 27, fifth seeded 6'6" Del Potro will face off against Oliver Rochus, a 1-foot-shorter Belgian player. Top-seeded Rafael Nadal could collide with Del Potro in the quarterfinals with how the draw is set up. Del Potro upset Nadal in the 2009 U.S. Open and is considered a tennis great, with the likes of Nadal and Federer to many. But, it is unlikely that his lateral coverage and strong game overall will lead him to big wins after being out for so long. Still, he is someone to watch once he gets comfortable with tennis again.
Attribution image by
Midwest Sports Tennis.