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Peter BodoTennis
NEW YORK – He had waited so long, endured so much frustration, pain, and anxiety, but when the moment when Juan Martin del Potro was waiting and working for almost a decade had finally arrived on Friday at Arthur Stadium Ashe, it was anti-climatic.
Rafael Nadal, his arms bare with sweat and his sleeveless shirt in carbon gray, was walking towards Del Potro, who got up from his chair to meet him. A confused murmur passed through the crowded stadium. The players conferred, the leaders are getting closer like two officials. Nadal told his opponent that he had finished, retiring from his US Open semifinal match due to tendinitis in his right knee. Del Potro led 7-6 (3), 6-2. Then they kissed each other.
Out of respect for Nadal, del Potro did nothing to celebrate except gently pumping his fist a few times. He returned to the field to recognize the crowd with a few deaf gestures.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal retired after two sets in his semifinal match against Juan Martin del Potro after declaring to the chair umpire that he was "so painful".
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"I can not believe I'll have the chance to play another Grand Slam final here, which is my favorite tournament," Del Potro said later. "It would be special for me, and in the final, anything can happen, if I win, it's great – otherwise, I played a big tournament and I'll be happy anyway."
This final Sunday against the resurgence of Novak Djokovic at 16h ET on ESPN, will probably be a more serious challenge that Djokovic ended up facing in the semifinals. But who can blame the native of Tandil, Argentina, 6 feet 6 inches, and his smooth transition to the championship after so many years of work? He survived three wrist surgeries, a situation that forced him to play with a game like half through long periods of laborious return.
As Roger Federer said in a moment of grace after being defeated by Del Potro in the Indian Wells final in March, "what's interesting is that he went to the door without double [backhand] almost. I guess he knew it would probably not be enough against some players, but he was quite happy to play this way, which I admire a lot. That's why I am also very happy for him. "
Del Potro uses his double-handed backhand more frequently, and he has perfectly integrated the slice into his game. He has constantly harassed the most successful Grand Slam champions, with 10 wins now on No. 1 players – the most by No matter which player has never been ranked first.
This honor is a comfort for del Potro, who would have beaten Djokovic or Andy Murray for a place in the Big Four, if not for his wrists. At age 29, Potro del is younger than either or the other man. He was unable to defend the title in 2010 because of his wrist injury. That's one of the reasons he was very moved on Friday.
"I won my only Grand Slam here," Del Potro said. "When I was a kid, I mix watching football and the US Open, that's all, that's why I say it could be my favorite tournament."
Del Potro's childhood fantasies of participating in a World Cup for Argentina remained the same, but his dream of participating in the US Open came true. And when that happened, he was moved and inspired by the way New Yorkers took it, despite the fact that he was barely speaking English and that he was painfully shy despite his impressive size and robust frame.
"I played well," he said. "I have too much energy in the crowd – I have a lot of fans who have come specially to this tournament, which is why it's my favorite on tour."
Del Potro's serial operations put a damper on his enthusiasm as well as his game. He missed this event twice between 2010 and 2014, and his best result when he played was the quarterbacks. Final in 2012. He played only four games of the ATP in 2015, his darkest period.
"I was about to leave this sport because I could not solve my wrist problems," he said. "I suffered a lot, I was depressed for two months as well, it was the wrong time for me." But Del Potro had allies in his fight, a group of a dozen friends who accompanied him to New York this year. They were ubiquitous in this tournament, prompting the fluttering of the familiar song "Ole, Ole, Ole, Del-po, Del-po". "Do you see the friends coming to watch me?" Del Potro said. "They are very important to me at this point because they have been behind me for those years, trying to keep my spirit positive, because never give up on wrist problems, I did not know if I would do it. " to be a tennis player again or not In the end, the members of the del Potro band played a striking role in his victory. They were staying in a luxury suite halfway to Arthur Ashe's, perhaps turning her into the first box where jeans and a T-shirt were mandatory, with blue khakis and blazers. They animated things from the start with an expanded repertoire of cries and songs. They were very helpful during the first round of tiebreakers, when Nadal still looked healthy. When Del Potro scored a key mini-break in the tie-break, his friends started singing "Ole" again. This time, the reaction of the crowd was not just a fun. Much of the stadium picked it up. You could almost feel the love of Del Potro in Ashe. "In this tie-break, I felt the energy of almost all the crowd behind me," said del Potro of the moment. When asked if he was also pulling energy from the crowd, he replied, "Yes, a lot." Del Potro will almost certainly have the crowd in his corner on the last Sunday. It's a pity that deserving a victory is not automatically rewarded. But this big forehand and this hard service could well.
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