By Chris Oddo | Monday December 31, 2018
Juan Martin del Potro’s comeback from a fractured patella is going well, but not good enough to enable the Tower of Tandil to take his place in the Australian Open draw. The World No.5 broke the news on Twitter on Monday, saying that he’ll announce the official date of his return at a later date.
“Recovery is going great and I will tell you later where I will be making my comeback,” Del Potro said. “Unfortunately it won’t happen in Australia, I’ll miss you @AustralianOpen, but I’m happy with my progress.”
Del Potro suffered a fracture of his right patella bone in Shanghai in the second week of October. "It's a very difficult moment," Del Potro said after receiving diagnosis. "I feel very sad. It's a hard blow that leaves me without strength. It's very difficult for me to think about recovery again, I did not expect this to happen."
The Argentine is coming off a brilliant season that saw him go 47-13 with two titles. He reached the final at the U.S. Open, and broke the record for most Grand Slam singles appearances between finals in New York. Del Potro played 21 majors between his trip to the 2009 U.S. Open final and the 2018 U.S. Open final.