Juan Martin Del Potro withdrew today from the Mutua Madrid Open with a hip injury before playing his 3rd round match against defending champion Rafael Nadal. The match was the highlight of a star-studded day on the clay courts of Madrid. Del Potro will travel to his native Argentina to have the injury assessed, ruling him out of next week’s Rome Masters and leaving his participation in the French Open in doubt.
Del Potro complained about hip pain en route to winning the Estoril Open last week in Portugal, and today described the pain as “strong.”
“I have experience about injuries so I took the decision not to play,” Del Potro said announcing his withdrawal from the fourth Masters 1000 event of the season.
Indeed, Del Potro missed almost all of 2010 with a wrist injury after winning the 2009 US Open and ascending to a career-high ranking of No. 4 in November of 2009. The big Argentine fell all the way to No.485 at the end of January of this year after falling in the 2nd round of the Australian Open.
Since then, however, Del Potro, one of the most popular players on tour, has been on a torrid comeback, winning titles in Delray Beach and Estoril, and reaching the semifinals of three other tournaments, including the Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells, where he lost to Nadal. Del Potro has raised his ranking to No. 32, 453 places, in just three months.
Del Potro was in pre-injury top form coming into this week, and continued his solid play with wins over No. 13 Mikhail Youzhny and a 2nd round drubbing of Marin Cilic. The 3rd round tilt with Nadal had been anticipated since the draw came out last week, and was to highlight an evening session on Madrid’s main stage, the aptly-named Magic Box. With the withdrawal, Nadal will advance to the quarterfinals, where he will face the winner of a 3rd round match between Michael Llodra and Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver.
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