Del Potro Still Boycotting Argentine Davis Cup Duty

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 18th November 2013

Del Potro Still Boycotting Argentine Davis Cup Duty

epa03942877 Juan Martin del Potro from Argentina returns the ball to Roger Federer from Switzerland during their group B singles match in the round robin stage at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 09 November 2013. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA |

Argentina will have to do without Juan Del Potro for the immediate Davis Cup future after the angry world No. 5 spurned an offer to return to the team after his 2013 boycott. Del Potro says he’s offended by a lack of personal contact and no chance to give input on the choice of surface, etc which goes along with any Davis Cup tie.

For that reason, the best in his nation just won’t bother to play for a second straight season. Del Potro said he was particularly annoyed at receiving impersonal emails from tennis officials as they try to lure him back into the fold.

“I won’t be available in this first-round tie to be played against Italy,” he said in a statement sent local tennis bosses and captain Martin Jaite. The lack of Del Potro combined with the recent retirement of David Nalbandian would well leave the Argentines in deep trouble in the international team competition.

“I’m tired of being invited by email or messages and being pressured at the same time through certain media with stories about whether or not I’ll play the Davis Cup, trying to make me look bad to public opinion.

“It seems to me a hypocritical two-faced stance, the same as last year when any reply or non-reply was quickly known by some journalists.

Del Potro skipped Davis Cup in 2013 to concentrate on his ATP game, a strategy which has taken him back into the top five. “I was never consulted over the choice of captain, surfaces, venues etc, and once (the decisions) were made, like for the tie against the Czech Republic in 2012, my opinion was not considered,” said the player’s whose last Davis appearance was a 2012 semi-final loss to the Czech Republic.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Argentina, Atp, Davis Cup, Juan Martin Del Potro, Tennis, Tennis News