Juan Martin del Potro Pays Tribute To His Late Dad, Novak Djokovic’s Wife and Others Send Condolences

Recently, the father of Juan Martin del Potro passed away at age 63. Daniel del Potro was a veterinarian by profession and had undergone heart surgery in December last year. Unfortunately, he struggled to regain strength and sadly died on Monday this week.

Heartbroken after the demise of his father, Juan Martin paid an emotional tribute to his dad by posting a heartfelt message on Instagram. The former World No.3 uploaded a heartwarming photo of him as a kid standing next to his loving father, with the latter’s arms around his son.

Juan Martin del Potro pens a heartfelt note

The 2009 US Open champion hailed his father as a true champion and thanked his beloved father for educating him with the right values. Juan Martin wrote about the instrumental role his father played, which made him achieve his dream of becoming a tennis player.

“You left us here with a broken heart, but we know that you are resting in peace as you deserve. You are our true and only champion. Thank you for educating me with values, with honesty, with sacrifice, and for having done the impossible so that I can fulfill my dream of playing tennis. I do not know how I will live without your presence, but surely I apply everything you taught me to never lower my arms. I LOVE YOU DAD!!!” posted Juan Martin on Instagram. 

Daniel was a former semi-professional rugby player and was rarely seen on the ATP Tour with his son. However, during Juan Martin’s early tennis career, his father accompanied him so that his son could compete in all national tournaments across Argentina.

Post the extremely tragic incident, Daniel is survived by his wife Patricia Lucas, son Juan Martin and daughter Julieta. Juan Martin has been hampered with lingering injuries over the last decade, but his father’s unfortunate death has resulted in a huge emotional setback for the 32-year-old.

After hearing about the incident, fellow players and fans across the world sent their condolences to Juan Martin and his family. Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena sent her commiserations to Juan Martin by commenting on his social media post.

“Much more love to you and your family” wrote Jelena. Italian tennis player, Fabio Fognini also extended his condolences to the Argentine. Notably, Rafael Nadal Academy tweeted a picture of Nadal hugging Juan Martin and offered their commiserations to the bereaved family.