Del Potro Not Sure When He Will Return to the Tour

Will he or won’t he? The USTA has said that it expects Juan Martin Del Potro to defend his US Open title next month, but the Argentine’s camp is saying ‘Not so fast’.

Del Potro has not played since losing a five-setter to Marin Cilic in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January. He hasn’t even picked up a racquet since then, and he is still rehabilitating his right wrist after undergoing surgery. "I still haven't picked up a racquet. This is why I can't set an exact date (for a return)," he wrote on his Twitter page.

His trainer, Diego Rivas, is more helpful about Del Potro’s chances of playing the final major of the year, strongly suggesting that it is not going to happen. "Nothing is sure, (but) the goal is to return in Bangkok," he said. That event, the Thailand Open, takes place from September 27 and features Rafael Nadal as top seed.