– Eight operations, father’s death and financial difficulties – there is probably no more unlucky in the tennis world than. In 2009 he won the US Open, won two Olympic medals, competed with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the highest places in the world ranking, today he is on the 757th position. He played for the last time in June 2019 in London. Since then, Juan Martin del Potro has not appeared on the court for health reasons.
Royal welcome to Del Potro
However, Del Potro decided to come back. For the ATP 250 tournament in Buenos Aires. During his 1st round match at Guillermo Vilasa against another Argentinian Federico Delbonis (42nd ATP), the stands were filled to the brim. For the first time in del Potro’s professional career, his mother, Patricia Lucas, watched the match from the stands. The 33-year-old Argentinian was greeted royally by the audience. When he came out to warm up, fans greeted him with a standing ovation. From the beginning they also sang loudly: “Ole, ole, ole, Delpo, Delpo”.
Before the last game of the match, del Potro gave vent to his emotions. Just as he was getting ready for his service, he suddenly grabbed his forehead. He didn’t serve, he cried, went to get a towel and covered his face with it. The fans again showed him enormous support. They applauded and sang even louder: “Ole, ole, ole, Delpo, Delpo.”
– I never dreamed that he would experience such moments as today. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life. I made all my tennis dreams come true and the love of people is the most important trophy. I am calm because my last game was probably on court and not at the press conference. del Potro said after the game against Delbonis. After an hour and 24 minutes of the fight, he lost the duel 1: 6, 3: 6. Before he went to the locker room, he tied his armband to the webbing in the net.
Will del Potro still play in the Rio tournament as originally planned? – I planned it, but … today I just hope that after two years I will finally be able to sleep without pain in my leg. It is very difficult to play this sport with such discomfort as I feel. I have my whole life ahead of me and I want to live in peace. I have to take care of my knees. I don’t think I will fly to Rio. I have a feeling that in Brazil I would experience something similar to this, he added, quoted by the German media.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
