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Olympic silver medallist Juan Martin del Potro will miss the Australian Open next month and the Auckland Classic in New Zealand due to fitness concerns.

The 28-year-old has struggled with wrist problems since reaching a career-high fourth in the world in 2010.

After missing most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Del Potro returned in 2016 to reach the Olympic final and help Argentina win a first Davis Cup.

He told Auckland Classic organisers he has "not had sufficient recovery time".

Del Potro began 2016 ranked 1,042th but finished at 38th after a year that included wins over Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

He revealed earlier this week he was considering not playing in Australia next month, telling reporters: "Tennis waited for me for two years and it can wait one more Australian Open."