Novak Djokovic might split opinion, but he has an undeniable ability to charm folk. Case in point: the gesture he made ahead of Juan Martin del Potro’s farewell match at the weekend.
Former US Open champion Del Potro was forced to retire in 2022 after failing to overcome a severe knee injury. Having been cruelly denied the chance of a proper farewell to tennis, the Argentine, 36, asked long-time rival-turned-friend Djokovic, 39, to travel to Buenos Aires and take part in one final match with him, dubbed ‘The Last Challenge’.
Djokovic accepted and then went the extra mile to ensure that Del Potro was given the best send-off possible. Among the 15,000 spectators packed into the Parque Roca stadium to watch the exhibition contest was an Argentinian woman named Silvina, who lives in Djokovic’s native Serbia.
In an interview with OLGA, Del Potro explained that Djokovic had paid for her trip to the Argentine capital after learning that she couldn’t afford it. Interrupting Djokovic, Del Potro said: “He won’t tell you, but if he lets me, I will. There’s a girl from Argentina who went to live in Serbia many years ago and has been his fan since day one.
“He had the opportunity to meet her, and she wanted to come here to say goodbye. She had some problem and couldn’t, so Nole managed to contact her again, called her again and paid for everything and she attended the match today. She came to Argentina and enjoyed this match.”
The match finished 6-4, 7-5 to Del Potro, who was emotional throughout and broke down in tears at the net after securing the second set. A huge cheer then went up from the crowd as Djokovic gave his opponent a big hug before parading him around the arena.
Del Potro also received video tributes from Roger Federer and Gael Monfils. Federer, who retired in 2022, said: “I hope the people in Argentina are celebrating with you and that you are having a special moment with Novak. I wish I could be with you, but I want you to know that I am thinking of you right now, and I wish you the best.
Del Potro was one of just two players to win a Grand Slam singles title other than the ‘Big Four’ (Djokovic, Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray) between 2006 and 2020, with the other being Stan Wawrinka. His sole triumph came at the 2009 US Open at a time when both Federer and Nadal were at the peak of their powers, and he managed to beat both of them en route to victory.
Unfortunately, injuries curtailed much of Del Potro’s career after that, but he nonetheless went on to reach three more Grand Slam semi-finals and another US Open final in 2018, where he was beaten in straight sets by Djokovic.
