"This time of the year makes me miss a lot playing tennis" - Juan Martin Del Potro ahead of 2022 US Open
Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro has tweeted that he rues not playing tennis when the last Grand Slam tournament of the year comes around.
Del Potro hasn't played since losing to compatriot Federico Delbonis in the first round of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires earlier this year, having missed the entirety of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Although he hasn't officially announced his retirement yet, it's unlikely that the affable 33-year-old - plagued by persistent injuries - will take the court again.
The 'Tower of Tandil' - as he's affectionately nicknamed - rose to a career-high of World No. 3 in 2018. However, Del Potro is a classic case of what might have been had injuries not blighted his career since his emergence on tour in the late 2000s.
The Argentine tweeted (in Spanish and English) that he misses playing tennis when the US Open is played:
"This time of the year makes me miss a lot playing tennis."
#USOpen Esta parte del año me hace extrañar mucho jugar al tenis 😞 #USOpen
This time of the year makes me miss a lot playing tennis
It's worth noting that Del Potro made his Major breakthrough at the US Open in 2009. The then 20-year-old stunned then five-time defending champion Roger Federer in five sets - in what is widely regarded as one of the biggest upsets in Flushing Meadows history.
Del Potro returned to the US Open final nine years later but failed to get past Novak Djokovic. That remains his last match at Flushing Meadows, where he has 35 of his 44 matches.
Juan Martin Del Potro's memorable fortnight at US Open in 2009
Juan Martin Del Potro reached the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2008 and lost to a resilient Andy Murray. So it wasn't entirely a surprise when the big Argentine reached the last eight again the following year. However, what followed next was what dreams are made of.
After beating future winner Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals, Del Potro conceded just six games against another future winner, Rafael Nadal, in a breathtaking display of power hitting. That put Del Potro into a first Major final, but he had his task cut out against his final opponent, Roger Federer, the undisputed king of New York for the previous five years.
Things seemed to be going according to script when Federer took the opening set against a rather nervy Del Potro. The five-time reigning champion served for a two-set lead and came within two points of doing so but blinked and Del Potro roared back into the contest.
He took the second set on a tiebreak to level proceedings but Federer took the third to streak ahead. Once again, Juan Martin Del Potro dug deep as the Swiss arrived within two points of a sixth straight Flushing Meadows title. He took the fourth set on a tiebreak to force a decider, where he dropped just two games en route winning the biggest title of his career.
With two finals, wins over Federer and Nadal, and the 2009 title, @delpotrojuan has countless memorable moments in Flushing Meadows.
Enjoy the best of the best from Delpo at the US Open 👇
Federer hasn't won the US Open since then, losing in the 2015 final to Djokovic.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule