Tennis: Bautista Agut beats Safiullin in Barcelona
he Spaniard, who is chasing his 12th ATP Tour crown this week, will meet seventh seed Karen Khachanov in the second round.
Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, a two-time Olympic medalist, 2009 US Open champion and former world number three, has begun rehabilitation from knee surgery.
“In the first phase of rehabilitation, of controlled movement, Delpo is doing three daily physiotherapy sessions,” the player’s publicist said in a statement on Thursday, reports Efe news.
On June 22, Del Potro underwent surgery to repair his fractured right kneecap.
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“For the time being, he is using a brace on his right knee and gets around with crutches. The goal is to ensure that the scar on his knee heals correctly,” the statement said.
Del Potro, a fan favourite who won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, is undergoing rehab in his hometown of Tandil.
The 30-year-old had a surgery in Barcelona after being injured at Queen’s Club, a grass-court event in London.
The player, however, began experiencing pain in his right knee in mid-2018 and missed several tournaments, recovering from the injury without surgery.
Del Potro’s career has been plagued by injuries, especially to his wrists.
The Argentine tennis star has undergone three operations on his left wrist and one on his right wrist.
“After many tough days, I’m now in my place, relaxing with my family and friends. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support,” Del Potro, who helped Argentina win the Davis Cup in 2016, said in a recent Twitter post.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward. Hopefully, I can recover fully and have a healthy knee again. I don’t know if I played my last tennis match the other day or not,” Del Potro said the day before his operation.
Del Potro, the world number 11, is the highest ranked South American player on the ATP World Tour.
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