Just a year after retiring, Juan Martin Del Potro’s career could see yet another high point. The player from Tandil, who turned 34 last September, has spent these fourteen months thinking at length about the possibility of a final attempt with the aim of a specific tournament, the Us Open, which he won in 2009 and to which he is therefore particularly attached .
Del Potro said: “My goal is to be ready to play an official match in the tournament. I don’t know if I will be 100% or not, but if my last tennis match is this year, I would like to be at the US Open.
I’m going to work hard, maybe for the last time in my career, and then you never know. God will decide if I’m ready or not.” So Del Potro’s intention is more than clear: his dream is to close the circle at Flushing Meadows.
Now the question is: Could Del Potro’s potential comeback entice Roger Federer and Serena Williams to return to the pitch? Del Potro is younger than Serena and Roger, 7 years younger.
A possible last tournament could therefore be more than possible. Federer and Williams are almost 42. A comeback is impossible. Or maybe not. In fact, many athletes have found their way back to their axes in recent months.
Perhaps the emotions that a potential Del Potro comeback would bring could tempt Roger Federer and Serena Williams to give tennis fans a little more magic.
The reactions of the USTA and the Director of the US Open
Despite being Argentinian, Juan Martin Del Potro owes a great deal of his professional life to the United States.
It was here that he reached the peak of his career by winning the US Open on September 14, 2009. That day, Del Potrò ended world number one Roger Federer’s 40-game winning streak on the tour and won his first and only Grand Slam title of his career.
A career that, however, brought him 22 titles and third place in the ATP ranking list (2018). Precisely because of his strong association with Flushing Meadows, the Argentine’s words regarding a return to the court at the US Open 2023 were met with great enthusiasm by US tennis executives.
“Juan Martin is a true fan favorite at the US Open, he is a unique player, friendly, we would be thrilled to have this former champion join us and compete in this year’s tournament,” USTA said. These statements were also supported by Stacey Allaster, director of the US Open.
