Juan Martin Del Potro never officially retired despite being away from the ATP Tour for over two years, but the Argentinian will end his career on home soil against Novak Djokovic.
Del Potro was one of the most feared tennis players in the world in his prime. He possessed one of the best forehands the sport has ever seen, as well as a formidable serve. His serve and forehand combination made him one of the hardest players to break.
The best moment of his career was winning the 2009 US Open. Del Potro memorably overcame Roger Federer when the Swiss maestro was near his prime in five thrilling sets at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After that, it seemed like Del Potro was destined to regularly challenge for Grand Slams. His game troubled the "Big Four" of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray more than anyone else.
Sadly, Del Potro's career has been blighted by injuries. He has managed a range of issues over the years, but the most recurring problem was a wrist injury that greatly hindered his ability to hit backhands.
Djokovic has been much luckier with injuries throughout his record-breaking career. His continued high level at age 37 allowed him to win Olympic gold, which Lindsey Davenport thinks was more important to him than the four Grand Slams combined this year.
In recent days, there have been rumors that Djokovic will be playing an exhibition match in Mexico at the end of this season. Those reports also mentioned the possibility of the Serbian visiting Argentina during a tour of South America.
It has now been confirmed that Djokovic will visit Argentina to play a match with Del Potro to mark the end of his career. The contest will be played on 1 December of this year in Del Potro's home country.
The match will be held at Parque Roca in Buenos Aires, which has a capacity of over 15,000 people. The event will begin at 12 p.m. local time in Argentina, and it should be a fitting end to the local hero's career.
Del Potro announced the news in a video on social media in which he asked Djokovic if he would be willing to play in his final match after a brief montage of the pair's moments throughout their rivalry.
Djokovic replied that, of course, he was coming and asked whether the match would be in Argentina. Del Potro confirmed that it would, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirmed again that he was happy to come.
The video is quite heartwarming. Del Potro is known as one of the most affable players to have competed on the ATP Tour. Therefore, it is unsurprising that he enjoys a good relationship with Djokovic.
Hopefully, Del Potro is in a good enough physical state to make the match a good viewing experience for the spectators. The former US Open champion deserves the best send-off possible after his excellent career and the unfortunate injuries he has suffered throughout it.
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