Del Potro To Miss Roland Garros

Juan Martin del Potro will not play at Roland Garros later this month, but his fans shouldn’t despair too much; he’s not missing the tournament because of any lingering or new injury. Del Potro announced Thursday that he’s feeling great but that his comeback will best be served by missing the season’s clay-court Grand Slam.

“We decided that the smartest move is to start my preparation for the grass season,” del Potro said on social media. “The list of tournaments is yet to be confirmed, but I hope to play as much as possible.”

This would have been the first time del Potro has played several consecutive tournaments since coming back earlier this year after missing 11 months because of surgery on his left wrist. The 27 year old played at the Delray Beach Open in mid-February and took a few weeks off from matches before playing in Indian Wells and Miami in March. About a month later, del Potro slid on the clay in Munich and Madrid.

The right-hander has enjoyed deep runs at Roland Garros. He’s played there six times and his best result was the semi-finals (2009, l. to Federer). Del Potro last played there in 2012.

Fans who will be in Paris in a couple weeks should return next year for a chance to catch del Potro. “Sorry for my fans at Roland Garros, I am going to miss you one more year,” he said. “I’ll see you in 2017!”