Dubai quarterfinalist Juan Martin Del Potro talked some football yesterday following a tough third-set tiebreak win over Marcos Baghdatis. Del Potro hails from a football-rich nation of Argentina which boasts argubaly the best player, Lionel Messi, and one of the all-tile greats, Diego Maradona. Maradona, an Ambassador for the Dubai Sports Council, was on hand today for Del Potro’s win over Somdev Devvarman, and afterward the two shared a short hit on the court.
“He played really well, not like football, but he can hit the balls with me. It was a funny moment for both of us. He loves tennis. He knows also Federer and Djokovic,” Del Potro said.
And earlier the US Open champion was asked about the legend.
“Diego means a lot for the Argentinian people and always be a pleasure just say hi to him or share the moment or a coffee or something. He’s so big, I mean, for all the people, I think,” Del Potro said.
Though Messi continues to pile up the goals, Del Potro still considers Maradona better for the moment.
“Messi is getting closer,” he said. “Messi can be bigger than Diego maybe in the future, but they are fighting for a very special place, you know, maybe the best or the most important person of the world, you know. And they are from Argentina, so I’m so proud for that.”
Del Potro will play Daniel Brands tomorrow in the quarterfinals.
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