It was hard to not shed a tear when witnessing the end of Juan Martin del Potro’s second round match against Nicolas Almagro.
The encounter was going into its third set, with the score being tied at a set apiece, before the tears started to fall. Almagro’s recent injury woes came back to haunt him on court two. Struggling with his knee, the Spaniard was forced to end the match as he collapsed with tears pouring down onto his face. In a touching display of sportsmanship, Del Potro, a player familiar with the setbacks of injuries, went over to console a devastated Almagro.
Huge amount of heart from @DelPotroJuan at @RolandGarros.❤️
🇪🇸 Nicolas Almagro (knee) forced to retire v. 🇦🇷 JM Del Potro.#RolandGarros2017 pic.twitter.com/DvzjYaatft— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) 1 June 2017
That moment it was no longer about tennis. Sometimes it is forgotten that tennis players are human beings. The focus is always on their performance in the sport and how they conduct themselves. It is rare to get a glimpse into something deeper, which is what happened on Thursday.
“It’s not easy for me when you have a friend on the other side of the court showing an injury or crying. It was really a bad moment for both, but I wish all the best to him.” Said del Potro, who will play Andy Murray in the third round.
Trying to reassure his friend and rival at the same time was not an easy task for the Argentine. When Del Potro approached, his immediate words weren’t related to the sport. They were something more powerful. It was about his family.
“I say to him, Try to be calm. Try to think about his family, his baby. And sometimes the heart is first than the tennis match or the tennis life.” He recounted.
An emotional roller coaster
It was not the first time in Roland Garros this week that the world has been moved by the emotions of a player. Steve Johnson’s progression in the draw has been one filled with inspiration and sadness. Just a few week’s ago, he lost his father, a formidable and highly respected tennis coach who introduced him to the sport. Four words spoken by Johnson after his second round win over Borna Coric put everything into perspective – ‘I just miss my dad.’ In the world of tennis you can recover from poor performances, recover from injury and recover from controversy. Sadly for Johnson, he can’t get his dad back.
“I wish he was following along – I know he is from upstairs – but it’s just so emotional, it’s hard to describe. I just knew he was looking down on me on that last point and gave me the strength to finish it off.”
Then there is the fairytale return of Petra Kvitova. At the start of 2017 it was uncertain if she would even return to competitive tennis after undergoing four hours of surgery following a knife attack. An intruder slashed her left hand during a struggle, causing damage to her tendons and nerves.
“I’m still happy I’m here and playing. The fairytale has ended. Now I think it will be business as usual. That’s what I’m looking forward to, just focusing on the tennis and on the game and everything what I do need to improve to my game.” Kvitova said following her loss at the French Open.
This year’s French Open is only five days old, but already the tournament has highlighted a valuable lesson. Sometimes there are more important things to life than tennis.
