Juan Martin de Potro: Will Gabriela Sabatini get him back in shape?
Will Juan Martin de Potro play at the US Open 2023? Having hinted at the desire, he has now trained with another Argentine legend.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit:
May 05, 2023, 11:32 am
Juan Martin de Potro actually celebrated his departure from professional tennis last year - the pain in his knee was too great, even in everyday life. But "Delpo" left a back door open: If he could get his problems under control again, he could imagine a comeback.
A few weeks ago , the great Argentinean teased a possible return - an appearance at the US Open 2023. He wanted to start training and see how the leg reacted, he explained.
The next message a little later: "Delpo" had hired fitness coach Duglas Cordero, an old acquaintance on the tour because of his work with Dominic Thiem, Leylah Fernandez and the Fruhvirtova sisters. "My goal is to be ready to play an official game in the tournament," del Porto then told the AP press agency . The US Open was also pleased about a possible performance by the crowd's favorite.
Del Portro won his first and only Grand Slam tournament in Flushing Meadows in 2009 and reached the final again in 2018.
Two legends: Del Potro trains with Sabatini
And now? Did del Potro get a training session with another Argentine tennis legend - Gabriela Sabatini. She had also celebrated her greatest success at the US Open, in 1990 with a final victory against Steffi Graf. Sabatini now posted a photo of herself and del Porto training together – "Nice training," she wrote.
The two had already trained in Miami, as part of a promotional event for Padel, for which "Delpo" acts as an ambassador. A little training was arranged while drinking coffee, "We played together for an hour - and it felt like I played a five-hour match," said del Potro afterwards. "I was completely exhausted." However, that was at the very beginning of the collaboration with Cordero.
Is the Sabatini training another step towards returning? We are excited!