Del Potro says career could be over after latest knee injury

[June 22, 2019]  (Reuters) - Juan Martin del Potro is unsure if he has played the last match of an injury-hit career after re-fracturing his kneecap during the Queen's Club Championships, the Argentine has said.

Del Potro's injury curse struck again on Wednesday as the former U.S. Open champion slipped during his victory over Denis Shapovalov and pulled out of the grasscourt tournament.

The world number 12 will miss next month's Wimbledon after scans revealed he had fractured his right patella -- the same injury that forced him out of the last four weeks of 2018 and restricted him to five tournaments this year.

"If that match was the last of one my career, I don't know. During rehab I will be able to think clearly. I will know what my body is able to do," the 30-year-old said on Instagram.

Since winning the 2009 U.S. Open, Del Potro has undergone three left wrist surgeries and another to his right wrist but he fought back each time to return to the tour.

"After medical studies and talking to the doctors they said surgery was the best treatment," he added.

Argentina's Juan-Martin Del Potro in action during his first round match against Canada's Denis Shapovalov Action Images via Reuters/Tony O'Brien

"I asked them for the best option health-wise, not just for tennis. They said surgery, no doubt about it. As you can imagine this is a tough moment, it's sad to go through all this again. I didn't expect this at all.

"I cannot say anything more than that. I don't know what will happen next. Hopefully I will have a good recovery. I hope my knee can heal properly."

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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