Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, Del Potro said on Saturday with tears in his eyes that he was in a difficult moment and knew people were expecting him to return to tennis.
The Argentine former world no.3 has undergone a third knee surgery in less than two years.
The statement said the 31-year-old Argentine had surgery in June but now needs another procedure because of pain that wouldn't let him run or jump and made walking up the stairs difficult.
The 31-year-old Argentinian has played just one Australian Open since 2015, reaching the third round two years ago.
Del Potro has not played since June, when he fractured the patella in his right knee for the second time in nine months during the Queen's ATP 500 tournament in London, reports Xinhua news agency.
Four-time Rogers Cup champion Novak Djokovic has decided to give the tournament a miss.
On June 22, Juan Martin Del Potro underwent surgery to repair his fractured right kneecap and the Argentine has therefore skipped Wimbledon.
Juan Martin del Potro announced his decision to miss the tournament after his defeat to American MacKenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach Open in Florida.
Del Potro's career has been beset by injuries and a long period on the sidelines saw his career ranking plummet to 1,045th place in 2016.
Federer, the defending champion, beat Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round despite being broken late in the second set.
Hearing those delirious Argentine fans sing "Ole! Ole! DelPo!" again between points, gave him something else rewarding to take home from Flushing Meadows.
A year after missing the U.S. Open because of an injured right elbow that would require surgery, Djokovic showed that he is unquestionably back at his best and back at the top of tennis.
On Sunday, No. 3 del Potro will face No. 6 Novak Djokovic, who advanced with an emphatic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 21 Kei Nishikori in the second semifinal.
Del Potro was leading 7-6 (3), 6-2 after two hours of play when Nadal shook his head and said he had to stop.
All four players have reached the U.S. Open final while only Nishikori hasn't won it to make this the first Grand Slam final four since the 2012 Australian Open in which all four players were past finalists.
The top-seeded Halep's exit means only one of the women's top-10 seeds remains in the tournament, Pliskova, which leaves Serena Williams as the big favourite to win her eighth Wimbledon title.
The No. 1-ranked Nadal compiled a 35-20 edge in winners while making only 19 unforced errors on Friday.
Del Potro is playing in the French Open semi-finals for the first time in nine years.
With his good run at Roland Garros, Del Potro is now guaranteed to return to the top four in the rankings for the first time in more than four years.
Dominating with his serve and aggressive baseline strokes, the 6-foot-10 Isner ended a 15-match winning streak for del Potro, who won Indian Wells two weeks ago by beating Roger Federer in the final.
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