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The 33-year old former U.S. Open champion has suffered with a
knee injury and told fans on Saturday that this month's
tournaments in Argentina and Brazil would be his last.
Del Potro's defeat on Tuesday came in his first match since
March 2019 and he hung his bandana on the net afterwards in what
the adoring home crowd and media interpreted as a final
farewell.
Asked if fans would see him play again, Del Potro told
reporters: "I don't know if it's going to happen, because the
pain in my knee is very high.
"But I will keep doing a big effort to fix the knee, and if I
get that, maybe I will have another chance to play."
In what was deemed to be his final match in front of his home
crowd, Del Potro's mother, Patricia, was in the stands for the
first time in his professional career to watch the former world
number three play.
Other members of his family, former and current players were
also among the spectators at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
An emotional Del Potro failed to hold back tears before stepping
onto the line to serve at 5-3 down in the second set as familiar
chants of "Ole Delpo" reverberated around the stands.
"It's difficult to explain how I felt on the court. So many
emotions," he said. "The atmosphere was crazy, the people were
crazy, and I had one of my best ever matches in my career with
the crowd."
With one of the game's heaviest forehands, Del Potro has won 22
ATP titles since turning professional in 2005, including his
only Grand Slam triumph in New York in 2009.
When asked after Tuesday's match if he could manage the Rio Open
next week, a tearful del Potro was unclear.
"I was planning on it ... but I think ... as I said, I gave
everything until the last point and today I hope I can sleep
without pain in my leg after two years," he said on court.
"That is what I am going to try and do from tomorrow. It's very
hard to play this sport with the discomfort I have. Today I have
my whole life ahead of me and I want to live in peace."
(Reporting by Ramiro Scandolo in Buenos Aires and Sudipto
Ganguly in Mumbai, writing by Andrew Downie; Editing by Robert
Birsel and Ken Ferris)
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