"Today I can only walk, I cannot climb the stairs without pain" - Del Potro gives insight into life after several surgeries
ATP
Former World No.3 Juan Martin Del Potro retired earlier this year in Argentina but he's battling with a hard desire to return to competing.
The 2009 US Open champion was always known as a hard opponent and a fantastic talent. After all, he was the first person to dethrone Roger Federer at Flushing Meadows after Federer had dominated for a number of years there. He had been prepared to retire from tennis for a time, and it eventually happened in Buenos Aires early this year but it was anything but easy.
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"The last time I picked up the racket was in Buenos Aires," admitted the 34-year old. "Later I did a couple of tests, but no: the truth is that the decision to play in Buenos Aires cost me a lot. And once I did that, and everyone saw the state of things, you know, that was a relief, a turning point in my life."
Even if he retired from tennis the burning desire to compete is still there and it will never leave. That is why Del Potro is still hoping and searching for a solution.
"I recently went to Switzerland to see another doctor," he revealed. "I started another treatment, it was recommended by many tennis players and so far I have not even had a positive result. Imagine what it’s like after every treatment attempt or surgery, the frustration I can feel when things don’t work out. As usual, I delude myself, I hope, I have faith in every new treatment I try and, when this fails, the blow is hard.
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"And for three and a half years, despite several surgeries and treatments, it always happened. Today I can only walk, I do not run on the treadmill, and I cannot climb the stairs without pain. I can’t drive for a long time without stopping to stretch my legs.
"I can’t psychologically accept a life without tennis. I did not have a gradual transition to the after, I did not prepare, I have no idea what the other athletes did to live this process peacefully. I was number three in the world, then suddenly I broke on my knees and here I am, with nothing."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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