Novak Djokovic paid a heartwarming tribute to Juan Martin del Potro on Sunday as the tennis cult hero retired from tennis at the age of 36.

Djokovic, 37, flew to Argentina to play against Del Potro in a special ‘Last Challenge’ exhibition match, which he organised as his farewell before hanging up his racket for good.

Del Potro broke down in tears on multiple occasions during the match, but he still managed to beat the former world No 1 6-4, 7-5 at the Parque Roca Stadium in Buenos Aires.

There, he received messages from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Gael Monfils, as well as Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni in a moving video.

But Djokovic saved the best for last by paying homage to his friend in an address to the crowd, with the Serbian doing so in their native tongue.

“Like everyone here in this stadium, I am very emotional. I’m also grateful to play with my friend who is a great person, a great player,” Djokovic said in Spanish on the court.

“It is a special day for me because in the past, when I saw Juan Martin for the first time, I was in France. We were maybe 12 or 13 years old together.

“I think that in recent times, the last months and also years, Juan Martin is much closer to my heart because when you play against your rival, I see him a little differently.

“Because [in your career] you have to play against him on the biggest courts in the world. You have respect but you want to win and work to win.

“But as I have said a thousand times, I don’t know anyone who isn’t in love with Juan Martin. Everyone loves him.

“In my country, the culture and values ​​are how a person behaves. All the professionalism you obviously [already] have, but it is important to always have respect in life, not just in your eyes but also your heart.

“And I think Juan Martin is an example for us. Your greatest victory in life, it’s that. He is a wonderful person.”

Del Potro, who reached a career-high ranking of No 3 in the world, won the first and only Grand Slam of his career in 2009 when he stunned Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and overcame Roger Federer in the final to clinch the US Open title.

He would go on to claim 22 titles overall on the ATP Tour. However, injuries plagued the Argentinian throughout his career and he underwent several surgeries to repair damage to his knee and his last ATP Tour match came back in 2022.

Despite that, Del Potro said he was happy with what he achieved and reassured his fans that he would be departing on a positive note.

“Know that, no matter how sad you see me, I am ending my career in the best way I dreamed of and I am leaving happy,” he said. “Even if I cry, I promise you I am leaving happy. Thank you very much for all these years. Goodbye!”