Del Potro Heads To Doctor With Sore Wrist

World no.5 Juan Martin Del Potro faces a nervous 16 hours flight as he heads from the Middle East to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for an appointment with Dr. Richard Berger to ascertain the extent of the left wrist injury that forced him to retire from the Dubai Duty Free Championships after just one set.

 

Del Potro, who has spent nine days in Dubai preparing for the tournament, insisted he was in so much pain facing India’s Somdev Devvarman that even if he had won the first set tie-break, he would have retired.

 

As it was, the tall Argentine retired with the scoreboard reading 6-7 against him and then confronted his emotions as he took stock of the situation. Clearly paramount in his mind was the worrying process that followed similar problems with the right wrist four years ago in the aftermath of the momentous US Open title victory when he was effectively sidelined from top-flight tennis for a year and saw his world ranking drop from no.4 to no.485 at the beginning of 2011.

 

Del Potro insisted his first port of call will be to see Dr. Berger, who repeatedly assured him it would be safe to play after checking out the wrist after pain occurred during an early loss at the Australian Open last month. “Now I will see what he says for the future, and I will let you know very soon what my plans are going to be,” said the 25 year-old from Tandil.

 

Following disappointing tournaments at the Australian Open, Rotterdam’s ABN/AMRO, and now Dubai, the 25-year-old is now questioning whether he requires another operation. “I cannot say that (it will be surgery) yet – but I’m feeling similar pains to the other hand and what I felt four years ago,” he said. “It’s not really positive for my future. But I will do whatever the doctor says and I will have to be as strong as ever.”

 

Clearly Del Potro has absolute faith in the views of Dr. Berger and but after playing the ABN/Amro event in Rotterdam, he travelled early to Dubai. Throughout protracted practice, the player admitted he was unable to play his backhand properly.

 

“I don’t feel really well,” said Del Potro who immediately saw the Dubai tournament doctor after leaving court but did not go to the nearby hospital for an MRI scan. “My wrist is hurting a lot, and, you know, everybody knows what’s happened to me four years ago with my other wrist.

 

“It was really tough to play today and I tried everything, but it’s very difficult to play in these conditions (windy) you know. I was playing slices and I could not be the player I would like to be.

“It’s hurting all the time, sometimes less and sometimes a little more. But it’s hurting, and I have been in contact with my doctor all the time. He’s trying to keep me motivated to keep playing, but I know what is my limit playing on court. Today was enough.”

Topics: 10sballs, Australian Open, Dubai Duty Free Championships, Juan Martin Del Potro, Somdev Devvarman, Sports, Tennis, US Open

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