Djokovic: "I am sad because my greatest rivals are already gone"

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Prior to the exhibition match against Juan Martín Del Potro, Novak Djokovic appears alongside the local tennis player before the Argentine media to comment on how he is experiencing this unique situation. The Serbian expresses his joy at being present in the country, especially to play against a great rival like Delpo, although he doesn't hold back in sharing his sadness at seeing his greatest rivals depart.

A different relationship

"It is a great pleasure to return here to South America, to Argentina after 11 years, the first time I was here. This time it is very special to be here with my friend Juan Martín. It was a great honor when he decided that I would accompany him in this final moment. I can imagine he has many emotions at this time. I have done everything possible to live this with him in the best possible way with all the Argentine people. I feel at home. I am very excited to play and I am very happy," explained the Serbian to the press.

"It was a very easy decision to come here. It is a very special and exciting moment for me as well, not only because of the rivalry. The rivalry we have is also very strong because we have experienced many moments. In the recent period, our friendship has prevailed more than just rivalry. We are here to celebrate Juan Martín's career."

The most special matches

"There was always a lot of respect at the end. That's why I love Juan Martín so much; he is a very nice person. When you compete, it is normal to want to win, but we are humans and we are there to share strong emotions, that tension that is always felt on the court."

Sad about the bad luck with injuries

"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. 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."

The end of an era?

"Yes and no. I am still playing and I believe I am part of a golden era. Federer, Nadal, Murray, Delpo, Wawrinka... it is a very special era for our sport. Our personal careers have been influenced by all these rivalries of the last 15 years. For me, looking at this year, it is an incredible thing. I am a bit sad because my greatest rivals have left. A part of me, in terms of tennis, also leaves with them, but I continue to seek this motivation. Now I work with a new coach, one of my biggest rivals, who inspires me to see if we can achieve great things in our sport."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Djokovic: "Estoy triste porque mis más grandes rivales ya se han ido"