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By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, February 24, 2014

 

Juan Martin del Potro's 2014 is in doubt after the Argentine pulled out of his first-round match in Dubai due to left wrist concerns.

Photo Source: AFP

Juan Martin del Potro is heading back to the freezing-cold environs of Rochester, Minnesota for the second time in two months, after the World No. 5 suffered a setback in his wrist rehabilitation today at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai.

Del Potro had to pull the plug on his first-round match with Somdev Devvarman of India after dropping a first set tiebreaker. The 25-year-old Argentine met with the tournament's medical doctor on court and appeared to be close to tears before shaking Devvarman's hand in defeat.




“I tried everything but it's very difficult to play in these conditions,” Del Potro said. “Playing slices, I cannot be the player that I would like to be.”

Del Potro, who sought treatment for the left wrist last year as well, and played at less than 100 percent in some notable matches last season because of the wrist, described the pain he felt to the media. “I am feeling similar pains to the other hand, what I felt four years ago,” he said.

Del Potro sought treatment from his longtime wrist doctor at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Richard Berger, immediately after his second-round loss to Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open, but seemed to have confidence that he the left wrist would improve as the season progressed.

The 2009 U.S. Open champion took 20 days off then began a period of rehabilitation before taking part in the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam a few weeks ago.

“I am having physio treatment each day and I complete special 10 or 15-minute warm ups prior to each practice session,” Del Potro told ATPworldtour.com at the time. “Every step is being monitored by Dr. Berger, just in case I feel different.”

Del Potro, who missed most of 2010 when his right wrist was operated on by Dr. Berger, has been reluctant to miss more time this year. “[My] wrist is improving day by day," he said in early February. "Dr. Berger is hopeful that my wrist will recover very fast. It is improving slowly, but at least it is improving. This year, I am trying to find a different treatment to fix the injury, to ensure that I can play the whole season.”

Now that that plan has failed, Del Potro's 2014 is currently in doubt. When asked if he would've kept playing if he won the first set, del Potro said, ''I don't think so, no. It was hurting too much.''

In other first-round action in Dubai, top-seeded Novak Djokovic eased past Denis Istomin, 6-3, 6-3, while 5th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Victor Hanescu in the night session, 6-2, 6-4.

3rd-seeded Tomas Berdych defeated Marius Copil, 6-3, 6-4, while Radek Stepanek (d. Michael Russell) and Nikolay Davydenko (d. Andrey Golubev) were also winners.

 

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