Juan Martin del Potro has announced that he will be missing the Australian Open. Earlier in the week, it was announced that he would be missing the ASB Classic in Auckland and was undecided that if he would be playing in Melbourne. The reason behind his withdrawal is due to fitness issues.
Del Potro and ASB Classic Organizers Speak
"Juan Martin del Potro has confirmed he will withdraw from the Australasian swing due to fitness issues," the Classic organizers said in a statement, referring to the two tournaments in January.
Del Potro then said via his management team that he confirmed the message and would not play this January.
"Del Potro confirmed via his management team overnight that he has not had sufficient recovery time and will be withdrawing from the (Auckland) Classic and the Australian Open," the statement added.
Del Potro’s Stunning Comeback
After nearly one and a half years out of the game, del Potro showed this year why he is a force to be reckoned with. The Argentine was outside the top 1000 at the time he returned to the game and has worked his way back inside the world’s top 40. Some of his most notable results came in the world’s most renowned events in tennis. At the Olympic Games in Rio, del Potro stunned then-world number one Novak Djokovic in the opening round. He then fought his way to the gold medal match, including a victory over Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. He would go on to take the silver medal after losing to Andy Murray.
Following that, he went on to make the quarterfinals of the US Open, losing to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka. In the Davis Cup semifinals, the “Tower of Tandil” displayed some of his best tennis ever, stunning Andy Murray and Great Britain in five sets. Del Potro won his first title since 2014 after defeating Jack Sock in Stockholm. He saved the best for last in the Davis Cup Final though, coming back from two sets to love down to defeat Marin Cilic to even up the tie at two rubbers apiece before Federico Delbonis put the finishing touches on Ivo Karlovic and Croatia to hand Argentina their first Davis Cup title ever.