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Finally, in front of wrist injuries that have hindered his career, Juan Martin del Potro will have another chance to beat Rafael Nadal on a big stage.
For most of Juan Martin del Potro's career, his greatest enemy was not another player. It was his own body. But over the past year, Del Potro's fragile wrists have given way to a more traditional opponent: Rafael Nadal.
This is not a rivalry, exactly. But Nadal and del Potro, two of the most exhilarating competitors on the tour, became familiar enemies at the Grand Slam.
Friday, Nadal and Del Potro will meet in the semifinals of the US Open, marking their fourth meeting in the last five major tournaments. Last year at the US Open, Nadal, the future champion, defeated del Potro in the semifinal four rounds. This year, the King of Clay was eliminated by the Argentine of 6 "6" in the semifinals of the semi-finals of the French Open and took over in the quarters of Wimbledon, winning this time a classic of five sets, 7-5, 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
It's a little taste of what could have been. Nine years ago, at the US Open, when Del Potro beat Nadal and Roger Federer to win his first (and only) major at age 20, he looked at the world as an emerging force, a man who would join Novak Djokovic to disrupt Federer. and the joint hegemony of Nadal on tennis. Instead, a devastating series of wrist injuries derailed Del Potro's rise just as he should have come in force.
After a right wrist injury that forced him to miss nine months in 2010, Del Potro barely played in 2014 and 2015 due to left wrist problems, returning to 16 with a severely diminished setback. We will never know how many Majors del Potro, now aged 29, would have won had he remained healthy, but there is a good chance we will remember the era of male tennis for his Big Five rather than the Big Four.
Del Potro's career is a counterfactual after another. Here is one more: What if Nadal had never had its renewal in 2017? We often discuss Nadal through the prism of Federer, but it is likely that Del Potro would have been the biggest beneficiary. The resurrection of Argentina coincided with the resurgence of the Spanish to the world No.1. Del Potro currently ranks third in the world, but Nadal remains the only hurdle that he has failed to overcome in his quest for a second major title. .
He will have another shot on Friday. This time, Nadal seems somewhat vulnerable, at least by his standards – Karen Khachanov nearly eliminated him in the third round and Dominic Thiem heroically pushed the defending champion to the brink of elimination in a five-man marathon sleeves that lasted nearly five hours. (Despite the fact that Thiem gave Rafa a 24-minute first time bagel!), This mileage could be crucial for Friday's result.
Meanwhile, Del Potro is playing as well as he has since returning to the circuit in the 16th. "I do not know if I play my best tennis ever," said Del Potro after his four-run victory over John Isner, "but I feel good".
His forehand remains one of the most formidable weapons on the circuit, and he serves remarkably well – against Isner, he won 89% of first serve points and faced only three break points, saving them all. He also forced 11 breaking point opportunities, which is no small feat against Isner's threatening service. But above all, the backhand of Del Potro continues to improve: after his weak left wrist forced him to lean after his long injury, Del Potro finally strikes his double-bearer with greater authority, giving him another weapon from the bottom line. And adding this slice to his repertoire did not hurt. Isner says, "He's added a lot of setbacks to his game. That's one of the reasons he's back in the top five. "
Will all this be enough on Friday? Dethroning Nadal will not be easy, as Thiem can testify – and del Potro knows it better than anyone else. But again, nothing has ever been easy for the 2009 American Open Champion. If anyone is up for the challenge, it's him.
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