Juan Martín del Potro could return to defend US Open title

Defending US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro is expected to return from injury at Flushing Meadows, the United States Tennis Association said today.

The Argentine 21-year-old, who won his first Grand Slam in New York last year, has been out of action for most of the year after suffering a wrist injury in January and then undergoing surgery in May.

The final Grand Slam of the year gets underway on 30 August in New York and Del Potro was today included in the initial entry list for the tournament.

A USTA statement said Del Potro “is expected to return to Grand Slam competition after missing the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.”

Following his surgery in May, Del Potro had said that he was likely to miss the remaining three Grand Slams of the year, but a quick recovery means he may get the chance to defend his title, after all.

The Argentine had previously confirmed he plans to play at the Thailand Open which begins at the end of September.

Despite missing out on a large portion of the 2010 season del Potro is still ranked within the world’s top 10 -he is currently No7 behind Nikolay Davydenko.