Over the last few months, Rafael Nadal’s retirement has become a matter of discussion for all tennis fans, pundits, and everyone. Everyone, who has either watched him play either once or been a die-hard fan is currently involved in the major debate and it was no surprise that even the professionals would stay away from the debate. Juan Martin del Potro, one of the legends of the game, the one who was Nadal’s major competitor on clay also came ahead and sparked his opinion on the same.

In a recent interview, the Argentinean superstar came ahead and suggested that the tennis stage is finally going to an end with Roger Federer gone and Rafael Nadal also on the verge of retirement. However, he did not shy away from praising Nadal for whatever he had done. But, this pulled out a regret in him that he could not emulate the same things that Nadal is currently doing. However, it filled him with pride to see the Spanish player’s passion to never give up and keep going.

“I think we have to start assimilating that a tennis stage is going to end. Roger is no longer there but his legacy was very marked forever. And now Rafa is giving himself the pleasure of retiring in his own way and under his conditions. And it’s something that unfortunately I couldn’t do for my health. The thing about Rafa is impressive. Seeing him play and seeing that passion for competing and that energy he has is something unique and I don’t know if there will be something similar in the coming years,” said Del Potro in the interview.

Adding further, he suggested that whenever Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal plays, he makes sure to watch their games to keep himself entertained and not miss any chance of seeing the legends playing in the final years.

“I hope I’ll cross it now and say hello and I’ll keep watching it on TV. I’m not watching much tennis, but if Rafa or Novak plays, of course I look at it,” he further continued.

Thus, Juan Martin del Potro had nothing but love and respect for Rafael Nadal to keep going even at this age. While he could not do it, he is happy to see him fighting right till the end and ending his career on a high. While talking about Nadal, he went ahead to shed light on the best match that played against the Spaniard in his career.

Juan Martin del Potro reflects on his best match against Rafael Nadal

In the same interview, he talked about his best match against Nadal. He suggested that when the two faced each other in Rio, it was very emotional for him. Apart from this, he also credits the US Open semi-final encounter against him as one of the best, despite losing. He then won the hearts of the fans and every one by saying that it did not matter if he lost, whenever he looked at the images, he filled himself with pride because the moment was winning.

“The match in Rio was emotionally very strong and spectacular, as an Argentine in Brazil and against Rafa. Another match that I remember was the semifinals of the 2009 US Open, but there is one that I lost against Nadal, which was in Wimbledon 2018. That match was I lost, but at the end we gave each other a hug. It was super emotional and when I see images of that match and that moment I don’t care that I lost because that moment is already winning,” said Potro.

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Thus, Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal had a great rivalry over the years. While they no longer play against each other, the respect and love are still the same that they have for one another.