(Reuters) – Injury-plagued Juan Martin Del Potro will play his first tournament since 2019 next week after being handed a wild card for the Argentina Open, organisers of the ATP 250 tournament said on Monday.
The 2009 U.S. Open champion, who has undergone four right knee operations after last competing at Queen’s Club in London in 2019, will also play in the Rio Open ATP 500 claycourt tournament later in February.
“It’s going to be so special to come back to the tour in Buenos Aires and also play Rio. I worked a lot and made every effort to be with you during the coming weeks,” former world number three Del Potro, 33, who is from Argentina, said in a statement https://rioopen.com/en/2022/01/del-potro-confirmed-at-rio-open-2022.
“Rio de Janeiro has a special place in my heart and I look forward to being with you and play the Rio Open for the first time,” the 2016 Rio Olympic Games silver medallist added.
The Argentina Open begins on Feb. 7 and will be followed by the Rio Open starting on Feb. 14.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel)
