Juan Martin del Potro is preparing to say farewell to tennis with an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic.

The Argentine former world No. 3 was forced to end his career with a knee injury and played his last official tour-level match on home soil back in 2022.

But he never got the send-off he hoped for. And Del Potro has now revealed that it was Djokovic who took him for dinner and offered to give him a proper retirement match.

After retiring at the Argentina Open two years ago, Del Potro wanted one more chance to say goodbye to his fans and career. The 36-year-old had bad memories of being left in tears during his final match and wanted a happy last memory on the court.

In September, after toying with the idea of an exhibition for months, he finally announced that he would be back on court to face Djokovic in a match dubbed ‘The Last Challenge’.

Ahead of their clash, the Argentine revealed that Djokovic offered to give him the send-off he wanted no matter what. “I had been putting off this moment [the exhibition],” he told La Nacion.

“I had ideas, proposals, but I always said no because it had been very moving and I wasn’t prepared. I put it off and put it off… until one day this idea appeared and it was, ‘Well, who would you like to play with?’

“Nole’s name immediately came to mind because of the friendship I have with him and because I know he understands my situation well, everything I went through in my career, he understands the personal and current situation I am in.

“It was a call, a meeting, a dinner, catching up and his word was, ‘Delpo, you can count on me for whatever I can help you with.’”

Djokovic initiated the conversation after hearing rumours the former world No. 3 wanted to play one more match. Del Potro explained: “One day in Miami he said to me, ‘Delpo, I know you’re here, I want you to come to dinner and we can talk.’

“Obviously I cancelled all my plans and went to dinner. It was a joy to see him again and we had an incredible conversation, talking about life, matches, young people, Alcaraz and Sinner… It was a spectacular conversation that we would never have imagined in competition.

“These are beautiful things that tennis gives you once you’re no longer there fighting for points. And after hours of talking and getting more comfortable, he said, ‘Well, tell me about your life. What are you doing? How are you? There is news that circulated, is it true, is it a lie? How are you with that? Well, let’s get to the point. Is it true that you want to say goodbye, play a match in Argentina?’

“I told him how I felt, ‘The only way this can go forward is if you want to be with me that day. If not, I’m not going to be emotionally prepared to face this and I’m not convinced either.’”

Although Djokovic had severely limited his schedule in 2024 and has since ended his season, he was more than happy to commit to an exhibition match.

Del Potro recalled: “And he told me, bluntly, ‘Count on me for whatever I can help you with. I have the Olympic Games, I have Saudi Arabia [the exhibition tournament], tournaments, this, that, my family, but somehow I’m going to be with you in your last moment on the court.’

“And for me it was very emotional because a guy like him, with the tight schedule he has, with the things he plays for week after week, the thousands of offers he has of all kinds, to take a break and come to Argentina for a couple of hours to be with me and the people who also love him, was super special.”