During Juan Martin del Potro’s farewell match against Novak Djokovic in Buenos Aires, Argentina, emotions ran high. But there were very significant causes for laughter, entertainment, and spectacle.
During the tie, Djokovic imitated Rafael Nadal’s persona on the court which caused the crowd to burst into laughter. On Sunday (December 1) Del Potro finally bid farewell to tennis after playing the Last Challenge exhibition match in his home country.
The Argentine will go down in history as a champion of the game having won a Major title during the Big 3 era. He did in 2009 at the US Open, where he defeated Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the semifinals and final to win his only Grand Slam.
The 36-year-old did reach the US Open final in 2018 too, but lost to Djokovic. He suffered a knee injury at the Queen’s Club Championship in 2019, which led to another string of injuries that married his performance on the court.
Nonetheless, Del Potro went on to win two Olympic medals for Argentina, a singles bronze in 2012 in London and a singles silver in Rio in 2016. He also helped his country claim the 2016 Davis Cup.
Against Djokovic in the farewell match, Del Potro claimed the first set 6-4. The Serbian then decided to have a little fun and delight the crowd. In the second set, Del Petro, before serving, requested that Djokovic imitate Nadal.
The 37-year-old did as he was told, imitating Nadal’s persona by always touching his hair and underwear between points. The crowd burst into laughter while also applauding Djokovic for mimicking the tennis legend perfectly.
Watch a video of the same below:
Del Potro went on to win the match 6-4, 7-5 and was seen in tears after the match as he waved to the crowd. He even kissed the net before leaving the court and ended his career winning 22 tour-level career titles.
Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro faced each other 20 times in tour-level events, with the former winning sixteen of those meetings. Djokovic has also had a better career than his friend Del Potro, having won 99 tour-level career titles and still challenging for more.
After the farewell match, Del Potro was full of praise for Djokovic, revealing that the Serbian has won the most difficult titles in tennis. One of them included the Olympic gold medal in Paris, where he defied the odds by beating Carlos Alcaraz in a straight set.
The 2024 season marks a significant end of an era in tennis, where both Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray bid farewell to tennis. Djokovic remains the only player in the Big 4 that’s yet to hang up his racket.
