Juan Martin del Potro arrived back in Argentina on Thursday after successful surgery Monday on his left wrist. The same doctor who operated on his right wrist four years, Dr. Richard Berger, performed the procedure at the Mayo Clinic on Rochester, Minn.

“During the operation, it was discovered that the damage to his wrist ligaments was worse than expected based upon the high resolution imaging obtained before the surgery,” a statement from the del Potro team read. “Even so, the surgery went very well and as planned. The damaged ligaments were repaired and reinforced.

“The surgery did not require hospitalization and Juan Martin is recovering comfortably. It is expected that he will make a full recovery and on schedule as originally planned. Dr. Berger did note, however, that ‘Given the degree of damage that was discovered in Juan Martin’s wrist, it is amazing he was able to play at all. It is the result of his passion for the sport, his drive to play well and his strength that he was able to last this long. I can’t wait to see him play at full strength again’.”

Upon landing, del Potro said the toughest part was making the decision to have the surgery. After the operation, the doctor told him that the former US Open champion made the right choice.

Through google translation, del Potro talked about the recovery process. “It will take many months of recovery. In 15 days I have to go back to the clinic for further study and to see if the scar is progressing well. In 15 days the doctor talk to me a little more exact dates. It will be difficult to return, but I have experience of the other hand and I count on the full support of many people. That makes me want to recover quickly.

“In this sport injuries can change you career, life and many objectives. Now is the time to recover and to think back to playing tennis as quickly as possible and healthy. If I’m healthy, I can reach a high level. For next year my goals changed because there will be more in the top 10.”