Del Potro: “I’ve never been so scared in my entire career”

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Juan Martin Del Potro I still absorb every moment of this special day. Although the Argentine has already withdrawn from official matches, the former US Open winner and former world number three is preparing to say goodbye to the tennis world with an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic. In the pre-match press conference, Delpo acknowledges the uniqueness of his journey and talks about his rivalry with the Serb.

How did you experience this last week?

“It is a very special day for me that marks the end of my entire career. It’s a very special day for me. I’ve never had so much fear, so many nerves in my entire career, but the day has come. Novak arrived, who was very generous to be here with me at this moment, a day I will always remember. I hope that people accept him for the athlete and person that he is and that we can put on a good show.

The struggles of previous seasons

“In the last few days I have opened my heart a little more and shared my reality of the last few years. I had a wonderful career. It is very difficult to compete with Nole, to play Grand Slam finals against her, but for me it is a privilege that I have spent my whole career in the same era. There were various difficult things that came up, but today is such a special day that I may never want to enjoy it again as great as this. This is part of my story, but the beautiful memories and victories I have achieved outweigh everything other. My story is even more unique because of the injuries I suffered. When I was at my best or competing with them in the rankings, something happened and I had to start over. It’s part of my story and that makes it a little more special.

Which game from your rivalry with Djokovic would you repeat?

“I think the most fun I had against him was when he won in Rio and the hardest was when he beat me in the final of the 2018 US Open. That was something very special.”

Summary of your most important achievements

“From today, perhaps I will begin to understand all the successes I have been able to achieve. When you’re in this world, everything goes by so quickly that it’s difficult to enjoy the moments. It was a great pride for me to have won an important title in the same era as Novak, Roger and Rafa. Novak has brought our sport full circle, it is very special to have him by my side for what we are experiencing titles, in a few years I will be able to say ‘I took them away from them and they are in my house’ .”

The end of an era?

“Today is the end of my career, not Novak’s. He is still the best, there is no one like him in tennis. When he is in good physical condition, he has shown that he can win at the Olympics and reach the Grand Slam final. I don’t want to think about how long Djokovic will be around, but I watch his games without thinking about it.

This message is an automatic translation. You can read the original message, Del Potro: “Nunca he tenido tanta ansiedad en toda mi carrera”