"I am saddened by everything" - Novak Djokovic gives emotional tribute to Juan Martin del Potro ahead of farewell

Novak Djokovic has sent a touching tribute to Juan Martin del Potro ahead of the Argentine's farewell match this weekend. Djokovic emphasized Del Potro's bad luck with injuries and said he was saddened to see his career end the way it did.

Del Potro's final competitive match came in 2022, but on 1 December 2024, the former US Open champ will officially bid farewell to tennis with an exhibition match against the Serb in Buenos Aires. Ahead of the event, the Serb spoke to local media and showcased his support for one of the most notable figures Argentina's tennis history has seen.

The World No. 7 shared his belief that had it not been for injuries, Juan Martin del Potro could have had an even better career, and lamented his biggest rival on the tennis tour turned out to be his own body.

"His career is legendary as it has been, but I believe that, as all of us here would agree, he has had bad luck with injuries. Surely his career could have been greater if he had not had knee injuries. I have had some serious injuries, but not with such bad luck as him," Djokovic said.

"Injuries are the biggest rival of a professional athlete; when you don't have health, you can't do the things you dedicate your life to. I am saddened by everything I have observed with Delpo, but today we are here to celebrate," he added.

Djokovic and Del Potro met 20 times on the court during the course of their careers, with the former winning 16 times and losing only four.

Novak Djokovic on why he loves Juan Martin del Potro: "He is a very nice person"

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Alba Berlin - Turkish Airlines EuroLeague - Source: Getty

During the media interaction, Novak Djokovic also gave plenty of credit to Juan Martin del Potro as a human being, hailing his respecful nature and niceness towards him. The Serb hoped to celebrate all that once more when they met for the final time on Sunday.

"There was always a lot of respect at the end. That's why I love Juan Martín so much; he is a very nice person. When you compete, it is normal to want to win, but we are humans and we are there to share strong emotions, that tension that is always felt on the court," Djokovic said.

Novak Djokovic was last seen in action at the Shanghai Masters in 2024, reaching the final before losing to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. After that, he pulled out of the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, and will begin next season under new coach Andy Murray.