"They proposed I retire here permanently next year" - Del Potro reveals possible return to tennis

The return of Del Potro to tennis has always been a possibility but the Argentine and everybody knows that it would only be a brief stint.

His days of playing seriously competitive tennis are over because the knee injuries over the years are simply too much to overcome. It's a sad end to a brilliant career but the US Open will always be a special place for him. He triumphed here as a teenager in 2009 beating Roger Federer in the final and it was only a sign of things to come.

He would never add another one but he might still get a proper send-off at the US Open. Speaking to ESPN in New York, Del Potro explained that the USTA proposed for him to retire at the US Open next year:

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"I continue to try treatments to improve the condition of my knee, if I were to find success I would like to return to the circuit to play a few more tournaments and the organization of the US Open has proposed that I retire here permanently next year."

He continued:

"My priority is certainly to live without pain, but at this moment I honestly only continue to seek the right treatment that can leave me an open window on tennis. I still feel like a tennis player: when I see my colleagues competing on the pitch I think to myself that I should be there too. I still don't think of myself as a former player."