Juan Martin del Potro had marked his departure from tennis in Rio de Janeiroa ATP 500 that will bring together a good cast starting this Monday: Berrettini, Ruud, Schwartzman, Carreño, Alcaraz… But he has decided to delete himself. Logical. There wasn’t much point in dragging her career out another week after the beautiful tribute received last Tuesday in Buenos Aires before his faithful public, before his mother Patriciawho had never been to see him at a tournament, and before illustrious Argentine sports: Sabatini, Battaglia, Coria … After going through a knee ordeal and 965 days of drought, Del Potro has allowed himself a brief comeback to say goodbye in the best way: “I didn’t want to say goodbye at a press conference, but on the pitch”. To top off the magic of the moment, the tower of Tandil gave his last professional strokes against Federico Delbonisalong with whom he had won the decisive points of the 2016 Davis Cup. One of his great milestones. When he faced his last serve, del Potro broke down in tears to a thunderous applause. “I achieved the most difficult, the affection of the people.”
Thus, surrounded by affection, a tennis player said goodbye to whom the lesions they prevented him higher levels. Perhaps even having kept a pulse on the Big Threeas he did during a phase Andy Murrayespecially in 2016, or in punctual finals Stan Wawrinka. The Argentine has also won the big three more than once. TO Djokovic and Nadalfor example, way of your Olympic silver in Rio. Already Federer in the epic finale US Open 2009where he cut a streak of five consecutive titles for the Swiss in New York and 18 for the trio in the Grand Slams. That crown brought him closer to the best in history. But his physique did not hold. Just like what happened to Murray. Two examples of the extreme hardness of the circuit. We will never know what would have become of Delpo in health. We do know that he has gone like a great.