Juan Martín del Potro’s probable farewell closes a storied career

In the few fleeting days this February before Juan Martín del Potro was due to make his return to professional tennis on home soil at a small ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires the reality of what his first appearance in two and half years actually signified became clear.

For much of the past 16 years Del Potro’s career has been dictated by each new bitter slice of luck he has had to overcome, with numerous career-threatening injuries and moments when he seriously contemplated retirement. But somehow, through the strength of his character and talent, he would always work through those tough moments and return to his rightful place at the top. Not this time. After three knee surgeries and no solution to a freak fractured knee injury sustained in 2018, even he has found his limits. “It’s more a farewell than a return,” he said.

As Del Potro took to the court in Buenos Aires against his compatriot Federico Delbonis, before a raucous crowd filling every quiet moment with chants of “Olé Delpo!”, those limitations were clear for all to see. He was simply no longer mobile enough to compete at the highest level of tennis and in such a cut-throat sport not even his fellow coutryman spared him sympathy, peppering him with drop-shots he had no hope of reaching.

Despite his considerable efforts Del Potro was beaten soundly, 6-1, 6-3, and the scene ended with him baring his soul to his audience for “probably” the last time: “I think I overdid it for two and half years to try and resolve the situation and be able to play, like I did so many other times,” he said through tears. “Sometimes I can also lose and I don’t have the strength to continue. That’s kind of how I feel now.”

In the wake of this apparent retirement a documentary about Del