Juan Martin del Potro to miss Australian Open due to knee injury

Image Credits: Twitter/@delpotrojuan

Argentinian tennis player Juan Martin del Potro has pulled out of this month's Australian Open as he continues to recover from a knee injury. 

The tournament organisers took to their official Twitter handle to confirm the news and wish the two-time quarterfinalist of the Australian Open a quick recovery. 

"Our two-time quarterfinalist Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn from #AusOpen 2020 as he continues to recover from a knee injury," the Australian Open official handle wrote.

"Wishing you all the best with your recovery @delpotrojuan. We hope to see you back in Australia soon," the statement added. 

Our two-time quarterfinalist Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn from #AusOpen 2020 as he continues to recover from a knee injury.

Wishing you all the best with your recovery @delpotrojuan. We hope to see you back in Australia soon  pic.twitter.com/XNWd7u0ilT

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 10, 2020

The 31-year-old has not played competitive tennis since June 2019 when he fractured the patella in his right knee for the second time in nine months during the Queen's ATP 500 tournament in London. 

Subsequently, Del Potro underwent surgery to treat his knee and was expected to make his return to the professional circuit in November last year with the ATP tournaments in Stockholm and Vienna. However, he decided to postpone his comeback on the advice of doctors.

The Argentinian, who was ranked in the top 10 of the ATP men's singles rankings a year ago, has seen himself drop to 122nd spot due to his absence from the game from the last six months.