Del Potro reaches U.S. Open final as Nadal retires with knee injury

And a few games later, he did, putting an end to what had developed into a disappointing semifinal match at the U.S. Open.

After spending more than 17 grueling hours on court in the tournament, Nadal’s 32-year-old body — specifically his chronically injured right knee — gave way. The beneficiary was third-seeded Juan Martín del Potro, who advanced to his first Grand Slam final since he upset Roger Federer to win the U.S. Open in 2009.

Nadal, the No. 1 seed, lost the first set, 7-6 (3), and the second, 6-2, before packing it in. He took off his headband and wristbands and went over to del Potro to explain his decision. They hugged, and Nadal walked briskly off the court. Later, he explained that he felt the pain in the fifth game of the first set and that by the second set he could not move well enough to be competitive.

“That was not a tennis match at the end, no?” Nadal said. “It was just one player playing, the other one staying on the other side of the court.”

It was a cruel fate for Nadal, a Spaniard, who beat Kevin Anderson in the final a year ago and was aiming for his 18th major title. Del Potro, 29, is familiar with the feeling of losing out on trophies because of injuries. He endured multiple wrist operations after he won the Open in 2009, but he is finally getting back to his form of nearly a decade ago.

He will play sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic, who beat 21st-seeded Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in the other semifinal Friday night. Djokovic, another player whose recent injury cost him time at the top of the tennis pyramid, won Wimbledon this year and is rounding into his elite form again.

He holds a 14-4 career record over del Potro, and has won six of their last seven matches dating to the 2013 Wimbledon semifinal, which Djokovic won in five tough sets.

Del Potro said he knew that Djokovic would be the favorite, but he reminded reporters that Federer was a heavy favorite in 2009.

Yet Djokovic — who beat Nishikori with a mini stroke of genius, a short-hop defensive backhand that he curled around the alley and into the corner of the court — seemed to sense that del Potro would be the fan favorite Sunday.

“He’s a gentle giant,” said Djokovic, who will be seeking his third U.S. Open title. “He’s very tall, has a big game, but at the same time he nurtures the right values in life. He cares about his family. He cares about his friends. He respects everyone. He fights every match from the first to the last point. I think people can relate to that and appreciate what he brings to the tennis.”

In his lengthy efforts to fully recover from his wrist injuries, del Potro nearly gave up tennis in 2015. But he said the support of his friends from his home in Argentina — many of whom sang and cheered loudly from a suite during the match Friday — and the expertise of his doctors pulled him through his depression.

“That was the bad moment for me,” he said. “But I think that is completely in the past, and now I’m having a good present, looking forward for the future. I didn’t expect to get this kind of emotions playing tennis again. Reaching finals, winning titles, having my highest ranking ever in this moment, everything is almost perfect.”

The key to his semifinal, del Potro said, was the first set, which dragged on for more than an hour. That was the last thing Nadal needed. He had spent 15 hours 54 minutes on court leading up to the semifinal, and a big chunk of that came in his epic late-night quarterfinal victory over Dominic Thiem, which lasted 4:49 and ended shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

As Nadal struggled against del Potro, it seemed as if general fatigue and lack of energy might cause his ouster. He said he did not sense a return of his chronic knee tendinitis on Thursday when he practiced, or warming up before the match.

Nadal was able to compete through the end of the first-set tiebreaker, but in the second set, it was as if del Potro no longer had a real opponent.

During the sixth game of the second set, after the chair umpire had made a call that Nadal thought came before the ball landed, he approached the chair and said, “It’s OK, I’m going to retire because I’m so hurt on the knee, but you are not good on this one.”

Then he returned to the baseline to serve again and eventually finished out the set before stopping. He said the discomfort surfaced in the first set, with him serving at 2-2, 15-0, and he told his coaches and supporters in his box about it.

“I waited as much as I can,” he said. “You can imagine, it was very difficult to say goodbye. But at some point you have to take a decision. It was so difficult to keep playing that way. I was in too much pain.”

Nadal also retired from his quarterfinal match against Marin Cilic at the Australian Open in January, citing a hip muscle injury.

Nadal already had the admiration of tennis fans for his relentless approach to the game and unyielding competitive spirit. But del Potro also is a fan favorite, admired for his gracious demeanor and perseverance through his many wrist problems.

He and Nadal have developed a respect for each other over their 17 head-to-head encounters, with Nadal holding an 11-5 advantage before Friday. But Nadal was so distraught after he pulled out of the match that he had difficulty saying he was pleased to see del Potro advance.

“I cannot say I am happy, because I am not,” he said. “I will not lie to you. But yes, he is a player who went through a lot of issues during his career, like me, too. I know how tough is this thing.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.