A Class Act - Del Potro and Roddick's Retirement

Having seen Juan Martin Del Potro play at numerous tournaments and in Florida practicing several times, I had always thought he was disinterested in terms of his place in history. However, today, with his win over Andy Roddick, Del Po as he is called generally was a class act and I hope that the youngsters of today were watching as he took a back seat, albeit with a win, and allowed Andy his day on Arthur Ashe court.

Put yourself in Del Po's shoes. You can't win. If you win the match, you are "the loser" as you put the leading American player into retirement. If you lose, you're a loser on the biggest stage in tennis, losing to the 20th seed and ending your own tournament run.

Late in the fourth set, Del Po left a Roddick serve that was clearly out unchallenged. He didn't want to put the crowd on the opposite side of the net along with Andy. The Argentine kept a very quiet vigil on his side of the net and played possibly one of the best matches he has ever played at The US Open. He wasn't fazed by the emotions of the night, nor was he allowing Roddick to dictate the points or the time - he came out when the chair umpire called time and he took the full 25 seconds between points on each point. Calm, collected and poised.

What I found truly gracious was how Del Po simply said to Tom Rinaldi of ESPN after the match during the on-court interview that it was Andy's night and that he should take the microphone. Andy, as expected was emotional. And Del Po stood throughout the speech and the crowd's appreciative applause.

It was a great night on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court and it was a fitting end to a great career and a very good opponent proved why he is one of the classiest players on the tour.