Back in 2009 Juan Del Potro looked poised to become one of the top 5 players on the ATP, but a long list of injuries has kept the Argentinan from ever fully reaching his potential.
Thursday, Del Potro took on Nicolas Almagro in the second round of the French Open. This year marks the first time in five years that Del Potro has played at Roland Garros, and while the Argentinian faced injury troubles on the day, it was nothing in comparison to his opponent. Early in the third set Almagro went down with a knee injury and required a medical timeout.
Despite Almagro's best efforts, he had to retire due to the injury, something that lead to the Spaniard bursting into tears on court. That's when a wonderful moment of sportsmanship occurred, with Del Potro stepping in to console his downed opponent.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Del Potro discussed what he told Almagro as he consoled him on the court.
"I told him that tennis is important, but health matters more than tennis in this case.
"He was in agony. It was tough."
A sad way to see a match end, but a great example of how sports have a way of bringing people together. Almagro has reached the quarterfinals at Rolland Garros three times in his career, but he'll have to wait until 2018 to see if he can break into the final four.
