More than two years have passed since the last official match he played Juan Martin del Potro. Suffering from an injury to his right knee, the Tandil native, who is now 35 years old, has not returned to the courts since that memorable match against Federico Delbonis for the Argentina Open, in February 2022. Now, the 2009 US Open champion gave An interview with the Madrid Open Twitch channel, in which he answered several questions, already spoke about the possibility of an exhibition match as a tribute, or a definitive farewell to the courts.
Present in the Madrid Open, Del Potro said: “I am very happy. It is a pleasure to return to this tournament, to see old acquaintances, to return to a competition, from a different situation, of course, but happy.” The player from Tandil played eleven times in the Spanish capital, reaching the semifinals in 2012, the year the courts were blue, in a controversial situation that was not repeated due to complaints from the players because the surface was very slippery. “Roger ended up winning that year. [Federer], of course. I have great memories of this tournament. Since it was played at the Casa de Campo and for many years here at the Caja Mágica. It has always been a tournament that for Argentines to come to Madrid was a great pleasure, it was a week in which they came to play, but also to eat very delicious things and be with old acquaintances and with footballers who have passed through Madrid, here There was a lot of crossover between tennis and soccer and many relationships were created between soccer players and tennis players,” he recalled.
Delpo spoke about what it means to have become a reference for the current generation of national tennis: “Obviously, having marked a stage for the Argentine boys who are now on the circuit is very nice. I come across them, when they give interviews they mention me as a reference, like when I was a child and I mentioned so many others. This marks you and shows the passage of time, because one grows older. In Argentina, thank God, There are many good players, but you don’t have to compare them all the time, because what they are doing is devalued., which for me is something super valuable. In Spain to Carlitos [Alcaraz] They compare him all the time with Rafa, and they have a great representative in the big tournaments, and the same thing doesn’t happen there as in Argentina. Cerúndolo, Etcheverry, Seba Báez. They are a litter that will be there fighting for many years. Anyone similar to me? Over there, Etcheverry or Cerúndolo, because they play quite strong. Fran has a good forehand. They may have something similar to my game, but today I see that Jannik [Sinner] and Carlitos are at a higher level than anyone.”
The time in Madrid also served to refer to Rafael Nadal, who is playing for the last time at the Madrid Open, while he is going through his farewell season. “I think we have to start assimilating that he is going to end an era of tennis, of how we have known this sport in the last 15 years. Roger [Federer] He is no longer there, but his legacy was marked forever. And now, Rafa is giving himself the great pleasure of retiring in his own way and under his conditions. And it is something that I unfortunately could not do for my health. Rafa’s thing is impressive. The passion for what he does, the messages that he can deliver to anyone, are from a person that only Rafa can achieve. Watching him play, regardless of whether he wins or not, seeing that passion for competing and that energy that he has, is something unique and I don’t know if there will be something similar in the coming years. I’m not watching much tennis, but if Rafa or Novak play [Djokovic]or old acquaintances, of course I look at it,” he commented.
Along the same lines, Del Potro spoke about the rivalry he had with the left-hander from Manacor, with 17 games and a balance of 11-6 for Rafa. The Argentine chose: “The match in Rio (for the semifinals of the 2016 Olympic Games, which he won) was emotionally very strong and spectacular, as an Argentine playing in Brazil and against Rafa, something similar happened to me against Djokovic in the same tournament. Another match that I remember was the semifinal of the 2009 US Open, but there is one that I lost against Nadal, which was at Wimbledon 2018. I lost that match, but at the end we hugged each other. It was super emotional and when you see images of that match and that moment, I don’t care that I lost, because that moment is already winning. You see that the result doesn’t matter, because of that hug, the emotion, the fans, everything. “It was an unforgettable day and those were the great memories I have with Rafa.”
Del Potro said that now he enjoys watching tennis a little more: “I love seeing Alcaraz, because I was able to meet him, and also Juan Carlos [Ferrero, su entrenador]. I love it because he has a freshness and naturalness when walking around the court, he looks like a 30-year-old guy who has been on the circuit for 10 years and is super young. He is going to do very well in tennis, that face to face against Sinner. He is going to create a rivalry that tennis constantly had. First it was Agassi-Sampras, then Roger-Rafa, then Novak. And now it will be the two of them.”
Regarding his present and future, Delpo admitted: “My retirement was a decision made by my body, it was a forced exit from tennis. It was not something prepared or worked on with psychologists and a team. I’m just now coming to tennis events and feeling good.. At first it was difficult for me, I wanted to fulfill my obligation and leave. But in Miami I had an event, and then I stayed to see Carlitos, and I enjoyed it. This thing happens to me, seeing what tennis was like years ago and now, that they play very powerfully, a bit like my game was. I’m not sure about being a coach, I do enjoy being at home and not having a routine, not responding to certain things and having trips. I much more like being with young people and being able to transmit things that I learned, and tell experiences to the little ones. I am finding myself in that position more than in a world of lights and flashes. I like that better, but maybe in the next few years I will change, maybe I will think about it at another time.”
And finally, he talked about the possibility of a farewell match. “Physically, I am recovering little by little. I can’t play soccer or paddle tennis, which is the quality of life I’m looking for, but I’m in this fight. I would like to do a farewell match, there are some rumors, but I want to do it in good conditions because my last game in Buenos Aires cost me a lot. That’s why I said it could be the last of my career. Emotionally it was very hard, because it was very difficult for me to move. I receive a lot of love, even if I am not on the field and that is enough.”