London – Juan Martin del Potro’s first Wimbledon campaign for three years ended in disappointing fashion as the Argentine crumbled to a 6-7(4) 7-6(6) 7-5 6-1 defeat by Frenchman Lucas Pouille on Sunday.
Trailing by two sets to one when bad light stopped the third-round tussle on Saturday, Del Potro looked jaded as the fourth set sped away from him.
Pouille, seeded 32nd, will face Australian Bernard Tomic in round four.
Del Potro, who has had three operations on his left wrist since his last appearance at Wimbledon in 2013 when he reached the semi-final, said the physical toll of his stunning win over fourth seed Stan Wawrinka had taken its toll.
“As you can see I’m exhausted,” the 2009 US Open champion who has been robbed of large chunks of his career by injury, told reporters. “Yesterday was even worse than today.
“My body is hurting everywhere, but that’s normal after a big match against Wawrinka. I have to keep working hard, because in the future I will need to be ready between matches and feel better physically than today.”
– Reuters