“I’m not sad, I’m excited”, Del Potro’s emotional farewell speech

This Sunday, December 1, 2024, will surely be etched in the retina of Juan Martin Del Potro for a long time. Saying goodbye in your country, with all your people cheering you and against Novak Djokovic (7th), must be anyone’s dream. Delpo was able to accomplish it to put an end to a novel called success.

It was a Totally emotional afternoon from start to finish. With the entire spectrum of sport and entertainment present, the Tandil native closed his career with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against the Serbian in straight sets.

Anyway, without a doubt, the most moving part came at the end with the speeches. After some sincere and laudatory words from the Balkan, the 2009 US Open champion was not far behind.

“I want to make a separate paragraph for Novak. This madness started in March at the Miami Open when we went to dinner together. I asked him if there was any possibility of him coming to Argentina to share my last day. He had a very tight schedule, but without After hesitation he told me that he accepted; that he wanted to return to Argentina after 11 years and that he wanted to be with me and with you tonight.”the double Olympic medalist began.

Furthermore, the powerful tandilense, who seconds later would earn a very heartfelt hug from the former world number 1, continued: “This was possible thanks to the generosity of Nole. He has all the sporting titles in tennis, but I believe that with these attitudes and gestures he has the title and the most difficult trophy to achieve, which is the love of the people. He got it“.

“Secondly, I want you to know that I’m not sad, I’m excitedbut not from sadness. For me tonight is super special. That the end point of my career is with Nole and with all of you makes it very special. Here we all made a great effort to make this possible. Me going through my physical limitations, Nole for coming from so far away and all of you for being present here,” revealed the owner of 22 titles.

In harmony, the former number 3 on the planet said: “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Throughout my career you have supported me in any country and at any time. That is very important for us, the support is a plus; especially when playing against great champions like Nole. The love of the fans always filled my soul.“.

He also thanked everyone who was part of his team over the years, whether coaches or physical trainers, who helped him reach the top of tennis and compete on equal terms with the emblematic Big 3.

“With Nole at the helm and all the legends who left their greetings for me, I want to thank them. It is a privilege that such athletes remember me and speak such nice things. Having Nole means something unforgettable. I thank you for the Rio matches, the US Open, for our entire career. For being so professional and very fun. In the locker room there are tennis players who are a little more serious and others who are more relaxed like Nole. That made him super close all the time. Many thanks to my former colleagues“, he concluded between laughter and tears.