Juan Martin del Potro ends illustrious career with emotional exhibition farewell win over Novak Djokovic

Juan Martin del Potro has won his farewell match against Novak Djokovic with both former rivals and friends left in floods of tears in an emotional net embrace as the former US Open champion says goodbye in Buenos Aires.

Del Potro won 6-4, 7-5 in the match as Djokovic let him have a dropshot to win as he stood with his arms aloft before approaching him at the net.

He spoke about rediscovering the love for the fame as he trained for his final stand after a career that at times was cruelly ripped away from him including his final years. He returned to professional tennis in 2022 and announced his retirement from the sport after Buenos Aires citing ongoing knee pain due to injury. He had eight surgeries in all on his knee. He also aborted a comeback in 2023.

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Before he made a final go at training albeit for an exhibition in which Djokovic gratefully accepted an invitation to play. Their record now sits at 5-16 technically if this gets added retrospectively and saw the duo face off in epic duels including in the semi-finals of 2013 Wimbledon, Del Potro winning en route to Indian Wells and also at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The 2018 US Open final which was one of his final real cracks at the top level and the first since his 2009 US Open victory also holds significance and so he thought of no better player to end his career against.

All week both have spoke in glowing terms about each other and they had a real special moment to end it all off.

Perhaps not given the recognition he deserved, Juan Martin del Potro was the hero of the piece tonight.

"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," said Djokovic prior to the match. "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."