Former US Open champion Juan Del Potro has not officially retired at the age of 35. But he’s starting to get back into tennis whether the 6-foot-6 Argentine hits another ball in a professional tournament or not.
Del Potro, who won 22 ATP events despite battling a series of injuries, is opening the Del Potro Tennis Academy in Boynton Beach at the Indian Springs County Club. A grand opening is planned for September.
Del Potro, who goes back and forth between his residences in Miami and Argentina, had been searching for the right academy location for the past two years.
The last tournament he played came on February 8, 2022 in his hometown of Tandil. He has not played since because of kneecap problems that have required four surgeries.
“It was the perfect location in terms of accessibility to different airports,” Academy spokeswoman Alicia Civita said. – The area is still growing. Indian Springs has 26 courses that were not utilized to their full potential.”
Of the 26 courses, six will be hardcourts, the rest clay.
“He loves the area,” Civita said. “He knows Palm Beach County very well. He has a lot of friends in the area. He loved playing the Delray Open” where he won in 2011 and also played in 2016-2019.
Del Potro, who is back in Argentina, said in a statement that he is delighted to open his academy:
“This academy is a dream come true, allowing me to give back to the sport that has given me so much. I am committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where young athletes can thrive and become great tennis players and individuals .”
Del Potro is widely considered one of the most charismatic gentlemen on tour and is the second most famous Argentine living in South Florida after Lionel Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami.
Del Potro defeated Roger Federer in the 2009 US Open
Del Potro is the last male from ‘The Americas’ to win a Grand Slam event – taking out Roger Federer in the 2009 US Open to end the Swiss Maestro’s streak of five straight Flushing titles.
Federer, who never won the Open again, and Del Potro are friends. Federer has ties to Palm Beach County because his agent, Tony Godsick, lives in Delray Beach.
One of several aims of De Potro’s new venture is to get North and South America back on the tennis map as the sport is dominated at the top by Europeans. The last player from the United States to win a major is Andy Roddick, who won the US Open in 2003.
In another embarrassment for American tennis, no American male made it past the fourth round of the recently concluded French Open.
“He wants to help create the next champion from this side of the Atlantic,” Civita said.
Del Potro had four surgeries on his wrist earlier in his career, but the last injury to knock him off the tour occurred when he fractured his kneecap after a fall at the 2018 Shanghai Masters.
“He’s ready to be fully involved in the tennis world,” Civita said. “Being close to tennis activities had been difficult for him because of his injuries. He wants to do it by giving back. He has a great experience not only on the court but off the court that he feels this urge to share it. He want to give back to the sport by helping to create the new generation of tennis players, especially in America.”
A number of Argentines live in South Florida as well as a number of tour players such as Coco Gauff (Delray Beach), Jessica Pegula (Boca Raton) Tommy Paul (Boca Raton), Frances Tiafoe (Boca Raton), Taylor Fritz (Miami), Tommy Paul (Boca Raton ) and Reilly Opelka (Delray Beach), to name a few. The Williams sisters have been in Palm Beach Gardens since they were teenagers.
Academy for elite tennis players but intensely local
But while Del Potro wants his academy to be elite and wants to recruit from South America, he also wants it to be intensely local. His goal is to spark interest in a sport that may be stunted by the American growth of pickleball.
“He wants to run the academy with a heart,” Civita said. “It’s not just for him to make money from tennis, he wants to give back to tennis. We have a robust community in terms of going to local schools.”
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Del Potro hopes to provide online education, after-school programs, and medical and psychological support to students.
The tall Argentine who once had the sport’s most penetrating forehand is still rehabbing his knee.
“He’s obsessed with tennis,” Civita said. “So he still doesn’t want to think about the idea of retiring. He might do it this year, I don’t know. But he’s still working on his knee. The wrist was untied.”
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