Del Potro: ‘I Don’t Want To Be Home Watching The Tournaments On TV’

Although Juan Martin del Potro wasn’t pleased with his quarter-final loss on Friday against Mackenzie McDonald at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, the Argentine is taking the positives from the week.

Del Potro returned to action after sitting out four months with a right knee injury. He visibly struggled with the knee against McDonald, but showed plenty of heart in extending the match to a third-set tie-break. The Argentine has always been methodical in his comeback attempts, returning only when he’s ready instead of rushing back too soon, but admitted the desire for matches is as strong as ever.

“The doctors say I need time if I want to be 100 per cent, but I don’t want to be home watching the tournaments on TV. I’ve done that before and it was really bad for me,” he said. “I wanted to do a big effort tonight. I fought until the last ball and had many opportunities, but it’s hard to win matches when you can’t move at 100 per cent.”

The good news for del Potro is that while his lateral movement understandably let him down against McDonald, his tennis did not. He held in 15 of 16 service games and racked up 16 aces. When he was in position to strike his forehand, he produced plenty of vintage winners.

Having secured two straight-sets wins this week, including a second-round victory over New York Open champion Reilly Opelka, the Argentine has plenty to build on.

“I played three matches after four months away and that’s the best thing for me,” he said. “I know how good I can be when I’m ready, but I’m not in the physical condition to play at this level yet.”

One thing that never wavered is the support for the always-popular Argentine. Even against an American opponent, the Delray Beach crowd urged the top seed on against McDonald by chanting “Delpo” between points and on changeovers.

Del Potro has always fed off the energy of a packed stadium, but it could be even more crucial for him as he continues his efforts to return to full strength.

“I have a lot of respect for my fans who paid for a ticket and came to watch me play. I know they understand if I can’t play, but I wanted to try and think I did a good effort,” he said. “I wanted to play because this is the reason I came to Delray Beach. The final score doesn’t matter to me.”