Del Potro out for the season with fractured knee
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Argentina tennis star Juan Martin del Potro had to end his season early yet again after he incurred a knee injury at the Shanghai Masters. The 30-year-old World No. 4 had to walk with his leg in a splint after doctors confirmed he had fractured the patella bone in the right knee.
It happened during the third match at the Shanghai Masters on Thursday, where the giant Argentine faced Croatia's Borna Coric. Del Potro would soon undergo examinations to learn the exact nature of the injury and would be resting his knee before taking a final decision about his calendar for the final part of the season.Â
“It’s a very difficult moment. I feel very sad. It’s a hard blow which leaves me without any strength. It’s very difficult for me to think about recovery again. I did not expect this to happen,” reported Scroll.in, although Delpo did not specify if he would move ahead with the season.
"I made a weird movement with the knee and hit the floor very hard. I felt intense pain," Del Potro told the ATP, adding that he attempted to play with the injury initially but then decided to walk back when the knee kept giving him the problem. "I didn’t want any more risks," he added.Â
Earlier this year, Del Potro had bagged a runner-up title in the US Open after losing to Serbia's Novak Djokovic. He was also set to complete his year at the elite eight-man ATP World Tour Finals in London from November 11 after qualifying for the season-ending showpiece for the first time since 2013.
It was back in US Open 2009 when Del Potro was only 20Â that he was plagued by injury, and he has been a sufferer since then.Â
Earlier this year, Del Potro defeated Roger Federer at the Indian Wells Masters final and was a key figure when Argentina won a first Davis Cup in 2016.
