Novak Djokovic should have made new fans in loss to Juan Martin del Potro

Novak Djokovic did not need to do it. He did not have to fly halfway around the world to play a meaningless exhibition match against Juan Martin del Potro, a player who had not played any kind of match since 2022 but was an extremely well-liked player during his career. Del Potro did not choose retirement; retirement, due to his chronically bad knee, chose him years ago.

But the Serb also probably wouldn't have let anything force him to miss the match against the Argentinian. Djokovic might be viewed by some as the anti-Rafael Nadal where Nadal was personable and well-liked while Djokovic focused more on winning and, at times, enticing an unruly crowd. Both players were different. Both are also good people.

Djokovic and del Potro have been friends for a long time. Choosing to go out his way instead of injuries forcing him out, del Potro held an exhibition match called The Last Challenge and he wanted Djokovic to be his opponent. The Serb would not have said no.

Novak Djokovic gives Juan Martin del Potro the ending he deserves

The outcome of the match was likely predetermined. If Djokovic was a jerk and overly prideful, he might not have flown to Argentina to lose. He might have made the match look close, but he would have beaten del Potro in the end. After all, the two had played 20 times in ATP tournaments and the Serb had won 16 of them. Since Wimbledon in 2013, the Argentinian had only beaten the Serb once and that was in 2016.

Djokovic isn't a jerk, though. He proved what a great friend he is by losing to del Potro in straight sets. The score was relatively close, but Djokovic was never going to win. The play of the players was not the best thing about the match, however. The ending was.

On match point with Djokovic serving, the Serb waved his arms to get del Potro's home-nation crowd to get even louder, and then Djokovic hit a serve soft enough that del Potro could crush a forehand winner. That is when the tears began. The two met at the net, hugged, and both began to cry. Del Potro was done, and going out his way, but he had a friend there with him. It wasn't a tennis moment; it was a human one. And a perfect one.

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