Juan Martín del Potro and Novak Djokovic starred yesterday in one of the most unforgettable moments of the week leading up to the US Open 2024.
These are days when the best players in the world prepare for their assault on the title, sharpening their weapons for the last Grand Slam of the year,
but Nole had no problem making time in his schedule for a few minutes of hitting with the retired player from Tandil.
And, of course, this left us with some very interesting statements and moments that brought us back, even if temporarily, to past times.
Times of unforgettable battles indeed. Of power duels from the back of the court. In Flushing Meadows, Djokovic defeated Delpo on several occasions, including a final back in 2018…
but the Argentine became his biggest nemesis at the Olympic Games, a special event where he defeated Nole twice.
This led to a curious conversation, with both mic’d up. “Was your greatest achievement winning a gold medal?”, surprised the Argentine to Djokovic, who quickly replied, amidst laughter, that his greatest achievement was overcoming the Argentine in the final of the US Open 2018.
“My greatest success was beating you in Rio de Janeiro 2016”, Delpo replied with dignity, continuing a conversation between two friends who seemed determined to expose each other’s vulnerabilities. “He beat me twice at the Olympic Games, also in London. It’s true, Delpo is my nemesis in that tournament, he is my assassin”, stated Djokovic, delighting a dedicated audience. But the most impactful confession would come much later and originate from the mouth of the player from Tandil, who experienced with special emotion the events of the last Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“HE MADE ME CRY”
“Djokovic moved me on the day of the final, when he won the gold medal. It was the first time I cried for a tennis match”, Juan Martín stated, one of the closest friends Novak made in the locker room. “I have a very close relationship with him, I was very moved because I knew how badly he wanted to win that gold medal. Before the tournament started, I remember he made a video passing in front of the medals, begging to win it. He completed the game”, expressed the Tandil player without hesitation.
Now Novak will face the defense of his title in Flushing Meadows, with a long road ahead where he could meet names like Jan-Lennard Struff, Frances Tiafoe, Alexei Popyrin, or Ben Shelton in his first week. It remains to be seen if he will reach another final in New York, where he has secured the title four times and aims to equal Roger Federer, the leader in the list of triumphs with five titles. Will Novak achieve it? We will find out starting next Monday.
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Source: USA Today
