Former Grand Slam champion Juan Martin del Potro has been through three knee operations in a little over two years but he's now set his sights on his comeback in Tokyo, saying: "The Olympic Games are pulling me along, that is the motivation that I have"
Saturday 13 March 2021 12:50, UK
Injury-plagued Juan Martin del Potro has said "this is his year" as he targets a fresh comeback to tennis at this summer's Tokyo Olympics.
Del Potro, who won a bronze medal at London 2012 and silver in Rio de Janeiro four years later, when he was beaten in an epic contest against Britain's Andy Murray, has undergone three knee operations since sustaining an injury at the Shanghai Masters in 2018, the last of which was in August 2020.
The Argentine may not have fully recovered yet but the former US Open champion says he is targeting the Olympics later this year for his much-anticipated comeback to the game.
"I think this is my year, the former world No 3 said at an event in Buenos Aires where he was honoured as the best Argentine player of the last decade.
"The Olympic Games are pulling me along, that is the motivation that I have.
"The knee is giving me a lot of headaches, I cant close out my story yet. I feel like I have more to give and so I'll keep trying."
The 32-year old confessed that different treatments have not led to a complete recovery but rather ups and downs and he said it pains him to watch tennis on the television.
"Sometimes I am animated (for a return) and other times it's hard to envisage but I feel there is something inside me and so I keep fighting," he said.
"I want to end my career when it is right for me and not because of my health."
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