5 May 2010

Del Potro's season, Clijsters' French Open in doubt

7:11 am on 5 May 2010

The chances of Argentina tennis star Juan Martin del Potro making the French Open and Wimbledon look doomed and even the defence of his US Open crown is in doubt after he underwent surgery on a troublesome wrist.

The rangy 21-year-old world number five has decided to try to resolve a nagging right wrist problem that has troubled him since before his fourth-round exit at the Australian Open in January.

Del Potro, who shocked Swiss Roger Federer to win the US Open last year, expects the recovery period to take some time, almost certainly ruling him out of the French Open and probably Wimbledon as well.

And Kim Clijsters' participation in the French Open is in doubt after the Belgian pulled out of next week's Madrid Open because of a foot injury.

The 26-year-old US Open champion has two small tears in the muscles of her left foot, which she picked up playing in the Fed Cup tie against Estonia last week.

A full recovery could take up to six weeks. The action gets underway at Roland Garros in three weeks.