Another legendary tennis career came to an end after Juan Martin Del Potro officially retired after beating Novak Djokovic in Buenos Aires.
Del Potro is one of the players who possess an incredible talent, but unfortunately, due to injuries, he wasn't able to fully fulfill his potential. He reached the World No. 3 rank on the ATP Tour at the height of the Big Three, and he's also the 2009 US Open champion.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to compete since 2018 when he won the Indian Wells Open and ended the year as the fifth player in the rankings. In 2022, he made a comeback attempt at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, but he lost the match to Federico Delbonis 1-6, 3-6.
After the match, Del Potro hung his famous headband over the net, signaling that it was likely his last-ever match, but he never confirmed that, leaving many wondering whether he would attempt another comeback.
Recently, Del Potro announced that he would play his final career match against Novak Djokovic in Buenos Aires, and the exhibition was thematically named The Last Challenge, with the match taking place at the Estadio Mary Teren de Weiss, also known as Parque Roca in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Prior to the meeting, the Argentinian player revealed the brutal truth behind his injuries, explaining that he isn't able to enjoy some day-to-day activities and also that he had to undergo another surgery after his attempt to come back in 2022, something no one knew about.
For his farewell match, Del Potro chose Djokovic as his opponent. The two faced off 20 times on the ATP Tour, and even though the tall Argentinian won "only" four times, those four matches were some of the most important in their rivalry, as he beat his Serbian rival twice at the Olympics.
It was also because of Del Potro that Djokovic chased the gold Olympic medal until this year when he finally won one in Paris. After the season, he moved to Argentina, and it wasn't a surprise how highly he spoke about his rival prior to their meeting.
"His career is legendary as it has been, but I believe that, as all of us here would agree, he has had bad luck with injuries. Surely his career could have been greater if he had not had knee injuries. I have had some serious injuries, but not with such bad luck as him."
"Injuries are the biggest rival of a professional athlete; when you don't have health, you can't do the things you dedicate your life to. I am saddened by everything I have observed with Delpo, but today we are here to celebrate."
With both players taking to the court, the reception they received was incredible. Djokovic walked out first, and Del Potro, announced as the great champion that he was, came to the court second.
The match was contested as well as it could have been. Prior to the meeting, Del Potro said that he prepared for it, but having played one match in the past five years, he simply couldn't compete at the level fans were used to seeing from him.
Still, every now and then, the 36-year-old Argentinian was able to hit his signature forehand so powerful that Djokovic couldn't chase it down, delighting the crowd in Buenos Aires.
Djokovic, on the other hand, was nice to his opponent, often feeding him balls to his forehand, giving Del Potro a chance to showcase his craft in his last match.
In the first set, Del Potro broke his opponent's serve at the possible moment to win the set 6-4, and after the set was over, the retiring player announced that two more players would join them on the court.
Former doubles World No. 1 Gisela Dulko and former World No. 3 player Gabriela Sabatini joined Djokovic and Del Potro to play a few games of mixed doubles, leaving the court after three games played.
Djokovic and Del Potro then finished the match how they started it, and ultimately, Del Potro was able to say goodbye to tennis with one last win, beating the 24-time Grand Slam champion 6-4, 7-5.
It was an emotional night full of throwback moments and beautiful shots from the Argentinian player, who will always be remembered for his powerful forehand and friendly personality, which is why he was often called "the Gentle Giant."