Andy Roddick now shares how he felt Juan Martin del Potro behaved in his final match before retiring at the US Open

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Juan Martin del Potro retired from tennis last week after playing his farewell match against Novak Djokovic.

After 20 years involved in tennis, Del Potro finally hung up his racket after dealing with several serious injuries over the past few years.

The Argentine hadn’t played a professional match since 2022, with Del Potro recently revealing the extent of his injuries, and the effect they have had on his daily life.

The 36-year-old was determined to end his career on a high, and 15,000 home fans saw Del Potro beat Djokovic in his final match.

An emotional end to an emotional journey on the ATP Tour for the gentle giant, who won the US Open in 2009.

The US Open, which just so happened to host another farewell match where Del Potro played a big role.

Andy Roddick felt ‘lucky’ to have his career ended by ‘classy’ Juan Martin del Potro

Speaking on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, the former world number one looked back on his retirement match with Del Potro at the 2012 US Open.

“It wasn’t a nothing thing, look I wasn’t what I was, but I wasn’t nothing,” he said.

“I’d won two of my last four events and this was the second week of a Major.

“It wasn’t as if he was being classy in an exhibition, I won the first set, and I ended up not winning another set, but we totally embraced at the net.”

Del Potro beat Roddick 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the 2012 US Open fourth round, bringing an end to the American’s career on the ATP Tour.

Roddick wasn’t surprised by how well the Argentine dealt with the situation, but praised him for his class.

“Being classy is one thing but being classy and surprising absolutely zero people is another thing entirely,” he said.

“When you’ve set the precedent of that’s just the way he is, that’s another level.

“It’s not a moment of class, it’s a lifetime of class for Juan Martin.”

The 42-year-old went on to say that he was happy it was Del Potro who ended his career.

“I feel lucky that my career was ended at the US Open by Del Potro,” he said.

“If you could write who you’d want to take an exit to, all the while not wanting to take an exit to anyone, there’s nobody classier.

“I just really, really like and respect Juan Martin.”

Did Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick retire from tennis young?

Both Roddick and Del Potro are now officially retired from the sport, having achieved their dreams of lifting a Major trophy during their careers.

With Del Potro officially calling it a day at 36, and Roddick leaving the sport at just 30 years old, the pair were significantly younger than some of the other high-profile retirees in recent years.

The three biggest names to retire in recent years, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, remained in the sport a lot longer than several of their predecessors.

Thanks to modern-day science, and a better understanding of the importance of recovery, players can now remain on tour for longer.

Roddick, however, was one of the earlier retirements we’ve seen as he announced his departure from the sport on his 30th birthday.

The American cited injuries as a reason behind his retirement, whilst also wanting to place a larger focus on the Andy Roddick Foundation.

Similar to Del Potro, who after years of endless injury trouble, finally called it quits at the end of the 2024 season.

The average retirement age may be going up in tennis, but with injuries, you just never quite know when you’re time on tour is over.