Juan Martín Del Potro said goodbye to tennis as he deserved: on a court, with a racket in hand and honored by his colleagues, great legends of Argentine sports and all the love of the people, who did not stop applauding him throughout the entire Sunday afternoon at Parque Roca.
The player from Tandil played “The Last Challenge”, as the exhibition match was called, against a Novak Djokovic who accepted the proposal to come to Buenos Aires last March (Del Potro told him about it at a dinner in Miami), He understood the show perfectly and spread warmth and sympathy.
The 6-4 and 7-5 with which the match ended in favor of Torre de Tandil, who played with a knee pad on his right leg, was symbolic. In addition to Serbian, Gabriela Sabatini was also present, who joined in to play some games with Gisela Dulkoforming doubles pairs with the protagonists. When introducing Gaby, Del Potro told through tears how the best Argentine tennis player in history accompanied him in his most difficult moments: “A while ago I had to have surgery, she called me and told me that she was taking a plane and that she would “I was going to accompany him until I recovered.”
When the match ended, the former world number 3 hung his headband on the net as a final symbol. “Know that no matter how sad you see me, I finish my career in the best way. I leave happy, even if I cry, I promise you that I leave happy. Thank you very much for all these years,” concluded Del Potro, who also received warm greetings from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Emanuel Ginóbili, Lionel Scaloni and Martín Palermo, among other figureswho were present through a video.
It was the final point for a career as great as it was eventful, but one that places Del Potro on the podium of the best Argentine tennis players of all time.
