Novak Djokovic appreciates "friend" Juan Martin del Potro for choosing Serb over Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer

Juan Martin del Potro chose Novak Djokovic over several other legendary players including Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer during a recent interview. The Serb responded to Del Potro's kind gesture and mentioned their upcoming encounter in Argentina.

In an interview with La Nacion this week, Del Potro participated in a fun 'player preference' activity. He was asked to choose between two tennis legends, with his choice moving forward to the next round against a new contender.

Starting with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, Del Potro picked Sampras and then chose him over Andy Roddick. However, he later favored Marat Safin over Sampras. The process continued as he chose Rafael Nadal over Safin, Roger Federer over Nadal, and finally Novak Djokovic as his ultimate pick, even over himself.

La Nacion shared a Reel of the activity:

Djokovic reshared the Reel on his Instagram Story and wrote (translated from Spanish):

"Thank you, friend. See you in Argentina."

Novak Djokovic's Instagram Story (Image: Instagram @djokernole)

Del Potro has not played professional tennis since the start of 2022. He floated retirement talks at the time due to injury but did not officially hang up his racket. In the coming weeks, the 36-year-old is expected to officially take his leave from pro tennis after playing an exhibition match against Djokovic in Argentina.

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Juan Martin del Potro reveals Novak Djokovic's generosity that led to their upcoming exhibition match in Argentina

Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro at the 2018 US Open (Image: Getty)

Juan Martin del Potro has confirmed that his farewell to professional tennis will be an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic, set to take place on December 1 in Buenos Aires. This emotional send-off has a backstory, as revealed by Del Potro in a heartfelt interview with La Nacion, quoted by Tennis365.

Del Potro shared how the idea came to life after an unexpected dinner with Djokovic in Miami.

"One day in Miami, he called me and said, ‘Delpo, I know you’re here, I want to go to dinner together to talk,’" the Argentine recounted.

Canceling all his plans, he eagerly accepted Djokovic's invitation, leading to a conversation where Djokovic brought up rumors about Del Potro's farewell plans.

"He said to me, ‘Well, let’s get to the point. Is it true that you want to say goodbye, to play a match in Argentina?’"

Del Potro admitted his emotional struggle but the Serb's reply was unwavering:

"Count on me for whatever I can help you with. I have the Olympic Games, I have Saudi Arabia, tournaments, my family—but somehow I will accompany you in your last moment on the court."

This solidified the plan for the exhibition, named "The Last Challenge." The 37-year-old Serb will reach Argentina in the final days of November and enjoy the official dinner ahead of the event. The pair are expected to complete media duties before playing the highly-anticipated exhibition match.