A slew of surgeries and lost time infuse Juan Martin del Potro with a great appreciation for the battle and his opponent.
The eighth-seeded Argentine honored both in the aftermath of his 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2 Roland Garros triumph over Yoshihito Nishioka.
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Moments after prevailing in an intense three hour, 46-minute battle, del Potro walked around the net, bowed to the 23-year-old Japanese then embraced him.
Afterward, del Potro explained the gesture as a simple show of respect.
"Well, I try to be an example for the kids, on court, off court, as well," del Potro told the media in Paris. ". And these kind of moments could help to the youngest players, to know how the sport is, you know, the sportsmanship, also. And I did because I felt to do that. And after four hours playing great tennis for both sides, we closed battle in a very good way, and the people love that, too."
Photo credit:Clive Brunskill/Getty