Juan Martin del Potro opts to skip Australian Open

Juan Martin del Potro has decided to miss the Australian Open in order to provide himself with more preparation time for the remainder of the season.

Del Potro has been plagued by wrist problems over the past three years, but he returned to the ATP Tour last season, reaching the Olympic final and helping Argentina win the Davis Cup.

However, his nation's lengthy run in that competition led to his season being extended to the end of November, thus leading to a reduced off-season and pre-season if he were to participate in the opening tournaments of the year.

He had been scheduled to play in Auckland before taking part in the first Grand Slam event of 2017 but he will now return to the court in February at the earliest.

Del Potro now sits in 38th place in the world rankings after his return to action last year.