Juan Martin del Potro withdraws from Australian Open joining Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori on the sidelines as Argentine’s injury hell continues
- Juan Martin del Potro joins the list of players who are out of the Australian Open
- The Argentine player has been battling injury but is not fit for the upcoming slam
- He started 2019 with a fractured kneecap and has been battling with it since
- Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori have already confirmed they will sit the slam out
Juan Martin del Potro has become the latest high-profile casualty of the Australian Open after it was announced the Argentine has withdrawn from the first Grand Slam of 2020.
Del Potro has been plagued with injuries for much of his career and after talk in Argentina last week that he would be forced to miss the Melbourne event, it has since been confirmed.
He joins Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori in withdrawing from the men’s singles event.
Juan Martin del Potro has been forced to withdraw from the Australian Open through injury
The Argentine’s knee issues flared up at the Fever Tree Championships in grass-court season
‘Our two-time quarter-finalist Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn from AusOpen 2020 as he continues to recover from a knee injury,’ the Australian Open tweeted from their official account.
‘Wishing you all the best with your recovery. We hope to see you back in Australia soon.’
Team Del Potro added: ‘Del Potro is still feeling pain in his right knee and seeking alternate solutions. His health is our priority, so we are not posting updates on his tournament schedule at this time. We will make sure to keep you updated. Thank you for your messages. Have a great 2020!’
Del Potro fractured his kneecap at the start of 2019 and despite working his way back to fitness for the grass-court season, his knee flared up at the Fever Tree Championships at Queen’s and he has still not reached full fitness.
Andy Murray was one of the first high-profile casualties as he revealed he had had a ‘setback’
His ongoing injury issues have seen the 2009 US Open champion drop to world No 120 in the rankings.
Murray was one of the first high-profile players to announce he would sit out the Australian Open, which starts on January 20.
The three-time major winner announced that he had experienced a ‘setback’ in his recovery from injury and as a precaution would not be coming to Australia.
‘Unfortunately I’ve had a setback recently and, as a precaution, need to work through that before I get back on court competing,’ he said via a Tennis Australia statement.
‘I’ve worked so hard to get myself into a situation where I can play at the top level and I’m gutted I’m not going to be able to play.
‘After the Australian Open earlier this year, when I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to play again, I was excited about coming back to Australia and giving my best, and that makes this even more disappointing for me.’
Nishikori cited a right elbow injury for his decision to withdraw.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori admitted he had to withdraw as he cited an ongoing right elbow issue