"An era of tennis is going to end": Rafael Nadal retirement will be huge turning point says Juan Martin del Potro

Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro opined that Rafael Nadal's retirement will signify the end of an era in tennis. The 37-year-old Spanish legend is likely in his final season as a professional and has not confirmed his presence at the French Open.

The 22-times Grand Slam champion finally managed to play consecutive tournaments after his second-round defeat at the Barcelona Open last week against Alex De Minaur. This time at the Madrid Open, he reached the third round after getting revenge on the Australian in straight sets.

Juan Martin Del Potro, who retired from tennis in 2022 and was one of the main players challenging the Big-3 in their golden era, is in Madrid as a spectator and answered an interview with Punto de Break, emphasizing that Nadal's retirement will be a turning point in tennis: “I think we have to start assimilating that an era of tennis is going to end,” Del Potro started,

“Roger [Federer] is no longer here, but his legacy was marked forever. And now Nadal is giving himself the pleasure of retiring in his own way and under his conditions. It is something that unfortunately I couldn’t do because of my health. What Rafa does is impressive.”

“Watching him play and seeing that passion for competing and that energy he has is something unique and I don’t know if there will be something similar in the next few years.

“I will continue watching him on TV. I’m not watching much tennis, but if Rafa or Novak plays, of course I watch it,” the Argentinian added. “Another match that I remember was the semifinals of the 2009 US Open, but there is one that I lost against Nadal, which was at Wimbledon 2018. I lost that match, but at the end, we gave each other a hug.”

“It was super emotional and when I see images of that match and that moment I don’t care that I lost because that moment is already winning,” the former world No. 3 said. “The result doesn’t matter, but that hug, the emotion, the fans. It was an unforgettable day and those were the great memories I have with Rafa,” Del Potro concluded.