The last hero of the historic Argentine consecration of the 2016 Davis Cup who was still active hung up his racket.
Federico Delbonis retired
.
And he did it in front of his people, on the brick dust of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis and next to a friend.
The 33-year-old from Azulejo, who received an invitation to play the doubles draw at the Argentina Open, fell together with
Facundo Bagnis
6-4 and 6-2 against the Spaniards
Roberto Carballes Baena
and
Jaume Munar
.
Thus he put an end to a career of more than fifteen years.
🎾 Federico Delbonis fell in the doubles at the IEB+ Argentina Open and said goodbye to professional tennis in front of his audience.
He will always be remembered for giving the Davis Cup to our country.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, FAITH!
👏 pic.twitter.com/01JrNBcZkM
— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) February 14, 2024
After the last point, aware of the moment he was living, he hugged his teammate tightly and then began to feel the warmth of the public that gathered on the Buenos Aires night: applause and shouts that chanted 'Fede, Fede', while some fan he exclaimed, reminding him of his success at Davis.
Photos Emmanuel Fernández - CLARIN
In the subsequent press conference, 'Delbo' stated that it was "a healthy" and "correct" decision, since his
"daily and unbearable pain"
prevented him from training at the highest level.
"Being here makes you want to continue playing, but the reality is that I don't have the physical tools to continue doing so in a calendar year
," he acknowledged.
This Wednesday, starting at 8:00 p.m. at the Guillermo Vilas court, the central court of Lawn Tennis, there will be a well-deserved tribute from the organization and the public, as happened in the Davis Cup series against Kazakhstan, in Rosary beads.