Del Potro Could Return to the Tour Soon

The long awaited return to action of Juan Martin Del Potro is finally looking imminent and hopes are growing the 21 year-old Argentine who has only played four matches this year, will be able to defend his U.S. Open title.
 
Del Potro, whose competitive tennis in 2010 has so far been confined to January’s Australian Open where he reached the round of 16, this week returned to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where he underwent surgery on his right wrist on May 4.
 
An original comeback date in November was targeted but the post-surgery medical examination of the tall Argentine who still stands in the world no.7 has shown positive signs and now optimism is growing that he will be able to stage a title defense when the year’s final major tournament begins at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at New York’s Flushing Meadows on August 30.
 
"The doctor is happy with the progress," reported Del Potro on his Twitter account. "Now we have to keep strengthening and then be ready for the racket."
 
Del Potro resorted to surgery after several aborted comebacks on the ATP World Tour. He first complained of wrist problems when he was forced to retire from the Shanghai Rolex Masters last October and then at the beginning of this year he also was forced to offer his apologies at the pre-Australian Open Amii Classic at Kooyong in Melbourne.
 
Following the Australian Open, Del Potro was absent from both the initial Masters 1000 series events of the year in Indian Wells and Miami before announcing, and rapidly aborting, projected comeback dates in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.
 
Now Del Potro cites Argentina's September Davis Cup semifinal against France, a week after the U.S. Open, as his target. But this does suggest Flushing Meadows is far from out of the question.
 
Del Potro informed the Argentine press: "Davis Cup is a good date for returning to the tour but I hope I can come back sooner. I don't want to have any illusions because I don't know when I can return to playing with the racket. But I'll train hard to prepare."