Every tennis fan in the world would have felt terrible watching Juan Martin del Potro possibly play his last match in Buenos Aires last Tuesday. The Argentinian lost to compatriot Federico Delbonis in straight sets. Even though it was considered his final match, del Potro said in the press conference that he would check with his doctors whether to play the Rio Open or not.

Rio Open’s statement on Juan Martin del Potro confirms his retirement

Now, an official statement from the Rio Open’s Twitter account confirms del Potro’s retirement.

“Juan Martin Del Potro unfortunately will not compete in the Rio Open. It was always a dream to have him with us and we came very close to being able to fulfill it. We wish you much success in the future and know that the doors of the Rio Open will always be open to you.”

(Quotes have been translated using Google Translate)

Del Potro had an emotional Tuesday night in-front of his home crowd as he wept into his towel towards the tail end of the second set against Delbonis. What followed that loss was something every tennis fan will probably remember as the Argentinian left his head band on the net, signaling his departure from professional tennis.

In a magnificent career spanning over a decade, del Potro witnessed monumental victories against the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, etc., He is one of the few players to have defeated the Big-3 on multiple occasions on the ATP tour.

There is a strong belief amongst fans and pundits that if del Potro had some help from his body, he would have definitely scaled new heights in men’s tennis and likely dominated top players. Despite facing multiple injuries over the course of his career, del Potro always showed up on-court and figured out a way to play.

In-fact, it was one of his wishes to sign off his career on a tennis court and not in a press conference. From that standpoint, Juan Martin del Potro fulfilled his wish as he moves on to seek a life beyond tennis. He will be sorely missed.

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