Juan Martin del Potro Forgets the Past and Shows Respect For David Nalbandian

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Juan Martin del Potro Forgets the Past and Shows Respect For David Nalbandian

By Chris Oddo/ Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Juan Martin del Potro had kind words for his recently retired compatriot David Nalbandian after his match in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Photo Source: AP

Speaking to reporters after his second-round victory at the Rakuten Japan Open on Wednesday, Juan Martin del Potro had nothing but kinds words to say about his recently retired compatriot David Nalbandian. The two had a heavily publicized row during their Davis Cup final with Spain in 2008 and maintained sketchy, spotty relations in the ensuing years, but Del Potro was quick to demonstrate that his respect for the hot-blooded yet oft sublime Nalbandian trumped any bad blood that might have been lingering.

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"David was a really good player," Del Potro said on Wednesday. "When he was fit he could beat anyone. He won big tournaments. We have lost a great player on the tour. I wish him all the best in the future.”

Del Potro vividly recalls watching Nalbandian lock horns with the game's greatest players in the early to mid 2000s as a youngster, and he reflected fondly upon those years.

“I remember, when I was younger, watching him reach the Wimbledon final. His [2005] Masters Cup win over Roger Federer and some of his Davis Cup wins against Russia also stand out in the memory.”

Del Potro had a 1-3 record against Nalbandian and all of their matches were contested indoors. The 2009 U.S. Open champion knows it wasn't just him who struggled with Nalbandian back when the Cordoba, Argentina, native was in his heyday.

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"On his day he could beat anyone," del Potro said of Nalbandian.