Juan Martin del Potro is set to play a farewell exhibition match against Novak Djokovic in Buenos Aires on December 1.Juan Martin del Potro is set to play a farewell exhibition match against Novak Djokovic in Buenos Aires on December 1.
Juan Martin Del Petro and Novak Djokovic (via Tennis Majors)
Juan Martin del Potro is set to play his farewell match in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 2009 US Open champion has titled the match “The Last Challenge” and will be facing Novak Djokovic.
While the duo have a long history on the court, Del Potro is looking forward to playing with love and not as rivals. Del Potro and Djokovic last met on the court in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Italian Open.
Djojokivc won that match, which was their 20th meeting on the tour, 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4. The Serbian leads 16-4 in their head-to-head record. However, Del Potro, who retired in 2022 after several troubles with injury is aiming to play again.
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He won 22 singles titles in his career, including the 2009 US Open. He took his country to the top of tennis after leading the Argentinian team to Davis Cup victory in 2016. Four years before that, he even won a singles bronze medal at the London Olympics.
However, Del Porto’s career took a sudden turn after he fractured his right kneecap at the 2018 Shanghai Masters. After making his comeback, he sustained another knee injury when he slipped on the grass at the 2019 Queen’s Club Championships.
Del Potro recently opened up about the endless nightmare of injuries. He revealed that he is going to face Djokovic to say ‘goodbye’ to the fans who have supported him and also to the sport he loves.
The former World No. 3 will face Djokovic on December 1 in his home country. The clash is scheduled to take place at the Estadio Mary Teran de Weiss in Buenos Aires.
After a woeful 2024 campaign, Novak Djokovic has a humongous task on his hands heading into the next season. The former World No. 1 failed to win any tour-level titles this season and lost the top spot in the ATP rankings Jannik Sinner in May.
Djokovic was beaten by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the only two tour-level finals he reached this season. He now has to look for new strategies to beat the duo in 2025 if he hopes to win a Big title. Two-time French Open runner-up Alex Corretja believes that the 24-time Major winner needs to do different things next season to return to his best.
Djokovic did win the elusive gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August. He defeated Alcaraz in straight sets to seal his spot on the top step of the podium.