Buenos Aires – He burst into tears before his last service game, after match point he hung his famous headband on the edge of the net and gave a tearful interview.
Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, one of the few tennis professionals to break the Grand Slam dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in recent years, has declared his career over. The 33-year-old celebrated his comeback and farewell in the first round of the ATP tournament in Buenos Aires. After a break of almost 1000 days, the US Open winner of 2009 returned to the court once more after countless injuries.
Del Potro lost 1:6, 3:6 to his compatriot Federico Delbonis and said afterwards: “I will remember this moment all my life. I have fulfilled all my dreams in tennis and the affection of the people is the most important trophy. Now I’m reassured because my last match was probably on the court and not in a press conference.” Asked if he would compete in next week’s tournament in Rio, he said, “No. “
No match since 2019
At a press conference earlier, del Potro had hinted at quitting after the two tournaments. “Yes, I was planning to go to Rio. I think I gave everything until the last point. Today I wish I can sleep without pain in my leg after two years,” he said.
The former world number three had not played an ATP match since June 2019. He suffered a fracture of his right kneecap for the second time while preparing for Wimbledon the same year. He had to undergo surgery again and the recovery was lengthy. Before that, del Potro had already had bad luck with injuries and had to have several wrist operations.
His greatest successes include the US Open title in 2009, Olympic bronze in London in 2012 and silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. He won the Davis Cup with the Argentinian Davis Cup team in 2016.
