Tomás Etcheverry’s harsh diagnosis after the injury and tears at the Argentine Open: how long he will be out of the ATP circuit

Tomas Etcheverry left the Buenos Aires tennis court in tears on Friday night after being forced to withdraw from their quarter-final match Argentina Open against the Chilean Nicholas Jarry before the start of the first set (4-6 and 7-5) due to discomfort in his right leg. And studies from the exams he took this Saturday confirmed that he had reasons to feel dejected. The platense He suffered a torn semimembranosus muscle and would be out of action for at least five weeks.

“Unfortunately yesterday I had to withdraw due to injury. Today studies confirm that it will take me several weeks to recover. “I am focused on recovery and returning to court soon,” she wrote. tommy on his Instagram account. “I want to thank you for the incredible support I have received this week. Nothing better than playing at home.”

At the end of the quarter final, on a very windy Friday evening, Etcheverry had started very well against Jarry. After winning the first set against a very tough opponent, who had just defeated the Swiss in the previous round Stan Wawrinka, winner of three Grand Slam tournaments, with the whole stadium against him (except a handful of compatriots), the player from La Plata took the lead in the second. Jarry, who seemed unconcerned with the stadium’s “Davis Cup atmosphere”, tied the score.

And in that second game, Etcheverry felt discomfort in the back of his right leg. At half-time he went to the locker room to receive medical treatment and, although he returned, he no longer seemed entirely at ease physically.

He resisted as best he could. Although there were balls that he chose not to run and avoided making great efforts, encouraged by the people who did not allow him to give up, he continued to fight. However, he couldn’t “save” that second set. And after Jarry’s 7-5, while the Chilean was in the locker room freshening up for the final chapter, Tommy chatted with his team and told the referee that he wouldn’t continue.

Jarry returned to the pitch and consoled an Argentinian, who couldn’t hold back his tears and said goodbye to an ovation, accompanied by his winner.

Retirement was a hard blow for him. Because after a couple of complicated weeks, especially on a mental level (with the defeat in the Davis Cup against Kazakhstan and the quarter-final elimination of Córdoba), he felt good again on the court and showed great tennis.

Shortly afterwards, Etcheverry’s entourage explained that he had felt a puncture and that he had to wait for the results of the studies to know the severity of the injury. And this Saturday, as BALTC prepared to enjoy the semi-finals of the ATP in Buenos Aires, the tear was confirmed.

The player from La Plata is expected to stop for at least five weeks, which means he will miss the rest of the South American tournaments on slow pitches – the ATP250Santiago (finished last year) e 500 of Rio de Janeiro– and the first two Masters 1000 of the year, Indian wells AND You love me (where they had to defend a few points, 35 between the two).

If these recovery deadlines were met, he would return for the start of the clay-court tour that culminates Roland Garrosin which he would have had to defend in his first match, the first week of April, the final of Houston.