World number five Juan Martin del Potro will miss the Australian Open in January as he continues his recovery from a fractured kneecap.

The Argentine, 30, sustained the injury in a heavy fall at the Shanghai Masters in October.

“Recovery is going great and I will tell you later where I will be making my comeback,” the 2009 US Open champion said on social media.

“It won’t happen in Australia, but I’m happy with my progress.”

Del Potro has been plagued by injuries since winning his only Grand Slam, and has had three operations on a wrist problem, which left him struggling to use his backhand.

But he had a successful 2018, beating Roger Federer to claim the BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells in March, before reaching the semi-finals of the French Open, the last eight at Wimbledon and the final of the US Open, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.