Novak Djokovic took part in a farewell exhibition match for Juan Martin del Potro in Argentina on December 1. The entertaining clash caught the headlines for many reasons, including the Serb hilariously bringing the spirit of Rafael Nadal to the court.

Djokovic, who ended his 2024 season in Shanghai in early October, flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to participate in a farewell match for the Argentine tennis legend Del Potro. The former US Open champion last played competitively in 2022 and decided to end his career after knee and wrist injury struggles in the later stages of his career.

The 36-year-old began the friendly contest on the front foot and took a one-set advantage in front of a raucous crowd at Parque Roca stadium. In the middle of the second set, both men tapped into their funny side as Del Potro asked Djokovic to mimic Nadal’s signature movements while returning the serve.

The Serb happily obliged and started to tuck the hair behind the ears and adjust the shorts, as Nadal did before returning any serve throughout his career. Djokovic’s antics drew laughter from the fans in the stands.

Juan Martin del Potro won the match 6-4, 7-5 and broke down in tears as he approached the net to embrace the 24-time Grand Slam champion and kiss the net. The exhibition event was a star-studded affair with several celebrities, including close friends and former WTA stars Gabriela Sabatini and Gisela Dulko, in attendance.

Novak Djokovic gives heartwarming tribute to Juan Martin del Potro’s “legendary” career

Novak Djokovic spoke about his rivalry and friendship with Juan Martin del Potro over the 17 years on tour ahead of the Buenos Aires exhibition match. Speaking to the media, the Serb dubbed the 36-year-old Argentine’s career among the greatest and acknowledged the various injuries that hampered his progress.

“His career is legendary as it has been, but I believe that, as all of us here would agree, he has had bad luck with injuries. Surely his career could have been greater if he had not had knee injuries. I have had some serious injuries, but not with such bad luck as him,” Djokovic said.

While the former World No. 1 was saddened to see Del Potro end his career in such a manner, he was elated to take part in the “celebration” of his career in Buenos Aires. On the ATP tour, Del Potro and Djokovic faced each other 20 times, with the latter winning 16 of those contests.

“Injuries are the biggest rival of a professional athlete; when you don’t have health, you can’t do the things you dedicate your life to. I am saddened by everything I have observed with Delpo, but today we are here to celebrate,” he added.

Juan Martin del Potro achieved his highest career ranking of World No. 3 in 2018 and was ranked inside the top 10 of the year-end ATP ranking five times. The biggest moment of his career came in 2008 when he lifted his only Grand Slam title at the US Open.

The Argentine was also the singles silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympics and runner-up at the 2018 US Open. He ended his career with 22 tour-level titles.