By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday February 6 2022
Juan Martin del Potro will return to the court this week at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
Photo Source: AP
A pair of 500 events will ramp up the action this week across the ATP (Rotterdam) and WTA Tours (St. Petersburg), and over in South America all eyes will be watching what could be Juan Martin del Potro’s last tournament in Buenos Aires.
There’s also the Dallas Open in Texas – in its first year, after moving from New York, with 250 status.
Here’s a rundown of what’s on tap...
Del Potro faces Delbonis on Tuesday at Buenos Aires
Argentina Open
The Tower of Tandil held a teary press conference ahead of the tournament, explaining his reasoning for his decision to return to the tour in "farewell" mode rather than "comeback" mode. What many had hoped was the beginning of an inspiring comeback may actually turn out to be the Tower of Tandil's swan song. Del Potro, tired of fighting with his body, as he has done for the last decade now, says he has to listen to his body and needs to think about his future.
He takes his place in Argentina alongside Delbonis, where the energy is sure to be over the top, in a draw that also features Casper Ruud and Diego Schwartzman.
Tsitsipas the Top Seed at Rotterdam
ABN Amro
Always one of the top stops of the winter circuit in Europe, the ABN Amro in Rotterdam promises to present us with mouthwatering matchups next week, despite the absence of Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will take the spot of Medvedev and be the top seed. Andrey Rublev is the No.2 seed, and top talent is all over the draw. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov – and a first-round matchup between Montpellier champion Alexander Bublik and wild card Andy Murray – are additional highlights, but really the draw is stacked from top to bottom, so don't miss a match.
Full draw here:
Sakkari and Kontaveit Seeded One and Two in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg Open
The WTA Tour is back and ready to kick off February with a stacked draw at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Maria Sakkari and Anett Kontaveit anchor a draw that does not include defending champion Daria Kasatkina (Covid) but will benefit from the addition of Petra Kvitova as a wild card.
The 31-year-old Czech is just 1-3 on the season but is always lethal indoors. Perhaps it is time for her to find her form again?
Americans on Parade in Dallas
Dallas Open
14 of the 28 players in the main draw in Dallas are from the United States, with top American Taylor Fritz doing the honors as top seed. The return of Jenson Brooksby, who missed the Australian Open due to Covid, is notable, and look out for Maxime Cressy, the serve-and-volley wizard, who is seeded six, and Brandon Nakashima, not the most hyped of the young Americans, but most certainly looking at a bright future with his well-rounded game.