Del Potro gets wild card for U.S. Open

(Reuters) – Olympic tennis silver medalist Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina has received a wild card into this month’s U.S. Open, which could be bad news for one of the top 32 seeds.

The U.S Tennis Association said on Tuesday that the 2009 champion had been granted a pass into this month’s final grand slam of the year at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Del Potro, 27, has been hampered by a damaged left wrist in recent years. He had three operations, and missed most of 2014 and 2015, before playing his way back into form this year.

Having upset Swiss world number four Stan Wawrinka in the second round at Wimbledon, Del Potro continued his return to form at the Rio Games by knocking out world number one Novak Djokovic and fifth-ranked Rafa Nadal en route to the men’s final, where he lost to Britain’s Andy Murray in four sets.

However, his world ranking, 141, is too low for direct entry into the U.S. Open so he has been given a wild card.

Del Porto will face one of the top 32 seeds in the first round at the U.S. Open, which starts on Aug. 29.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris)