Tearful Del Potro nears retirement, exits Argentina Open

Associated PressFeb 9, 2022, 5:22 AM EST

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BUENOS AIRES — Juan Martin del Potro lost in what appeared to be a farewell match in front of his home fans at the Argentina Open tournament.

The 33-year-old, who had not played since 2019 due to injuries, was eliminated by compatriot and friend Federico Delbonis 6-1, 6-3 in an emotional match in Buenos Aires. Del Potro was already in tears as the final game unraveled.

The Argentinian said in a press conference he will decide whether he will play at the Rio Open tournament in Brazil next week.

“I will speak to doctors again. I have to take care of my knee and then we will see,” said Del Potro, who did not rule out a full return to the circuit. “I will always leave the window open,” he said.

“(But) if today was the last time I will leave happy,” the Argentinian said.

Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, Del Potro told fans after the match his decision was motivated by his health problems.

“This is the moment I hoped would never come,” he said. “I don’t have the strength to go ahead. I gave it all.” Minutes later, Del Potro placed his headband on the net as emotional fans chanted.

Del Potro, who has also won the 2016 Davis Cup and a silver medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in the same year, has had multiple wrist and knee surgeries in the past decade.

About 5,000 fans showed up to watch Del Potro, one of Argentina’s best tennis players in history, alongside Guillermo Villas and Gabriela Sabatini.

Delbonis, the 6th seed of the tournament, will face Spain’s Pablo Andujar in the round-of-16 of the Argentina Open on Thursday.

Top seed Casper Ruud of Norway will play on Wednesday against Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena.

At French Open, Francisco Cerundolo is mad at chair umpire over Holger Rune’s double-bounce

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:49 PM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS – Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina was devastated about losing his French Open fourth-round match to Holger Rune of Denmark in a fifth-set tiebreaker Monday. He also was mad at chair umpire Kader Nouni for missing a double-bounce of the ball on a point that was awarded to Rune early in his 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory.

They were tied at a set apiece and on serve at 2-1 for the No. 6-seeded Rune early in the third at Court Suzanne Lenglen when the point of contention happened. Cerundolo, who was serving at deuce, hit a forehand that skidded low at the baseline and quickly bounced a second time – which normally would have meant that the point was his.

But Rune went ahead and got his racket on the ball, sending it back over the net. At about the same time, No. 23 seed Cerundolo was saying “sorry” to apologize for the odd way his forehand made the ball skim across the clay. Nouni was not immediately aware of the double-bounce, thought the ball was still in play and called Cerundolo for hindrance for talking during a point. That meant Rune got the point, and when he won the next one, too, he had a service break.

“It was unbelievable, because it was a clear double-bounce. I was mad at the umpire because he has to see it,” Cerundolo said. “It’s his fault.”

In tennis, electronic line-calling is used at many tournaments to make line calls, but replays are not used to check things like double-bounces or whether a point should be lost because a player touches the net, which is not allowed.

And while Cerundolo put the onus on the official, he also thought Rune could have ceded the point because of the double-bounce.

“For sure, I wish he would have done that, because it was a big moment,” Cerundolo said.

Rune, who moved into a matchup against No. 4 Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, said he saw a replay after the following point, and “saw it was a double bounce. But the point already happened, and he called the score. So I felt sorry.”

But, Rune added: “This is tennis. This is sports. Some umpires, they make mistakes. Some for me; some for him. That’s life.”

Gael Monfils withdraws from French Open with wrist injury

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:34 AM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — A thrilling five-set victory took a toll on Gael Monfils, whose withdrawal from the French Open handed No. 6 Holger Rune a walkover to the third round.

The 36-year-old Frenchman said he has a strained left wrist and can’t continue.

He battled Sebastian Baez for nearly four hours on Court Philippe Chatrier before beating the Argentine 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in a first-round match that ended at 12:18 a.m. local time.

The victory was Monfils’ first at tour level this year, as the veteran was coming back from heel surgery.

“Actually, physically, I’m quite fine. But I had the problem with my wrist that I cannot solve,” he said. “The doctor say was not good to play with that type of injury. Yesterday was actually very risky, and then today definitely say I should stop.”

Monfils reached the semifinals at the French Open in 2008 and made it to the quarterfinals on three other occasions.