The Physical and Mental Wounds of Juan Martin del Potro
In an interview with the British daily newspaper "The Sun", former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro paints a frightening picture of himself.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Sep 30, 2022, 04:35 pm
Just recently we brought excerpts from a conversation between Juan Martin del Potro and the Argentine newspaper "La Nacion" , in which the former world-class player mainly spoke about the circumstances at the time that forced him to retire early this year. The "Tower from Tandil" now spoke to the British daily newspaper "The Sun" about his current state of health - in addition to the injured knees, the psychological stability of the South American is also a cause for concern.
"I can't even walk on the treadmill"
"Delpo" finds surprisingly open words in the conversation: "It has been my reality for three and a half years. Despite all the operations and all the treatments I've tried, nothing has ever happened. Today I can only walk, I can't even get up running on the treadmill, I can't climb stairs without pain. I can't even drive for a long time without having to stop to stretch my legs because of the pain. This is my reality, it's very hard, very sad ."
"But I'm still looking for ways to get better again. My new challenge is to find a way to live better again despite my problems, also mentally. To be honest, mentally I can't imagine life without tennis . I didn't have a gradual transition, I couldn't prepare for it. Other athletes went through this process calmly. I was number 3 in the world until I ruined my knees. And in the end I have nothing left," said the contrite US -Open Champion of 2009.