What Juan Martin del Porto was ‘secretly’ dealing with before he played the final match of his career in 2022

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Juan Martín del Potro disclosed the extent of his injury issues before and after the final match of his career.

The Argentine was one of the most destructive players in ATP Tour history, as his forehand struck fear into the hearts of his opponents.

He claimed some big wins throughout his career and won multiple titles, but one wonders how much more the 36-year-old would have achieved had it not been for injuries.

Juan Del Potro brought an end to his career in 2022 as injuries continued to take their toll, but even after hanging up his racket, his nightmare run of injuries did not end there.

Juan Martin del Potro tells story of his injury woes before and after retirement

Del Potro played his final tennis match in February 2022 on home soil at the Argentina Open.

This was the first match he played since competing at the 2019 Queen’s Club Championships, where he was forced to withdraw before his matches with Feliciano Lopez.

He was in pain during his career but in an Instagram video uploaded on Monday, Del Potro says he is still suffering, over two years after he stopped playing tennis, and admitted this pain is what prevented him from making a return to the game.

“Nobody knew this, but the day after I played my last match against Delbonis [Buenos Aires 2022] I took a flight to Switzerland and I had my 5th knee surgery,” Del Potro recalled.

“Since that I never made my surgeries public again as I found some peace in the press conference before that match against Federico, telling it would probably be my last match. People stopped asking me constantly when I would come back and play again.

“I did all this process secretly and if it worked I would announce that I would come back. I was two months in Switzerland, in a village close to Basel trying to rehabilitate and it didn’t work.

“After 2.5 months… I had my 6th surgery. I went back to the USA. More rehab, over 100 injections everywhere. Infiltrations… daily suffering. It’s been my life since that match vs. Federico.”

Is Juan Martin del Potro going to play an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic?

Del Potro may be done with professional tennis and his injuries have been very difficult to manage, but fans will see him back on the court soon.

On December 1, the 2009 US Open champion will face Novak Djokovic in an exhibition match in his home city in Buenos Aires.

In the same Instagram video, the former World number three said he has gained some extra motivation to prepare for this match and is looking forward to feeling some joy on court once again.

“I started my diet, I’m losing weight, I’m training. I want to arrive at that match in the best shape possible. It’s a match to say goodbye,” Del Potro said.

“Djokovic was very generous in accepting my invitation. I want to give him all the love possible. If at least for one, two or three hours I can be at peace and happy on a tennis court, it will be beautiful.”