Winner of the 2009 US Open and among the most brilliant players of his generation, Juan Martin Del Potro, 36, now suffers from terrible pain in his knee. He spoke in a video on social networks. Selected pieces.
Often coming back from nowhere, after multiple injuries (wrists, knees, etc.) during his formidable career, Juan Martin Del Potro is experiencing terrible suffering today, more than 2 years after his final outing in Buenos Aires against Federico Delbonis. “The day after this match, I underwent a 5th operation on my knee, in Switzerlandhe said. During my rehabilitation, I lived for 2 months in a village near Basel (ndlr: Muttenz, selon nos information), but it didn’t work. So I underwent a 6th operation and then returned to the United States. I went through rehabilitation again, almost 100 infiltrations, everywhere, in a hip, a leg, my back… It’s daily suffering. This is my life since my last match.”
“It hurts when I go to bed…”
Injured in Shanghai in 2018, then again the following summer at Queen’s, the Argentinian says he has been in pain since he was 31. “I have pain when I climb stairs. Pain when driving. Pain when I go to bed. It’s a never-ending nightmare. Emotional pain surpasses physical pain. I felt strong at the time in the face of these obstacles. But I realized that I’m not that much….”
Bruised in his flesh and in his head, “Del Po” is far from seeing the end of the tunnel, a priori. “I am still looking for solutions dailys, he continues, but I feel bad. The life I lead is not the one I want. It’s terrible. There are times when I have no more strength. I’m not indestructible. There are too many periods where I play a role, but in reality I feel bad. Every morning I have to take 6-7 pills, stomach protectors, anti-inflammatories…“
A prosthesis?
Could the solution be amputation? “Doctors tell me that I could put on a prosthesis to relieve my pain. Others tell me that I’m too young for that… But it’s terrible. I hope it ends one day.”
Paradoxically, the Argentinian must play an end-of-career exhibition next week against Novak Djokovic. “I started a diet, lost some weight, and I’m working outhe whispers. I want to arrive at this match in the best possible shape. If I can be happy and at peace on a court even if it’s for an hour or two, it will be magnificent...”
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Senegal
