Déjà-vu for US Open semi-finalists

Rafael Nadal vs Juan Martin Del Potro

Paris, London, and now New York – Rafa and Delpo face off for the third successive Grand Slam of the season, with the world No.1 hoping to make it a hat-trick of victories over the No.3-seeded Argentine in 2018.

It’s the sort of sequence that makes you wonder what might have become of their 16-match rivalry – Nadal leads their head-to-head 11-5 – had injuries and surgeries not ravaged Del Potro’s career at the very moment it appeared to be taking flight. Nine years ago, when the 6’6” Tower of Tandil became the first man to beat both Nadal and Roger Federer at a Grand Slam as he lifted the US Open title, they hailed the 20-year-old’s first major; now, two weeks short of his 30th birthday, it remains his only one.

But Del Potro is not one for looking back. His comeback from multiple wrist surgeries, complete with a rebuilding of his backhand, served to sharpen his all-around game, once so reliant on his fearsome forehand. After a string of high-profile wins in 2016 and 2017 – including a run to the Olympic final in Rio, where he beat Nadal in the semis – this season saw Del Potro claim his biggest title since that Flushing Meadows triumph in 2009, winning the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March.

Ability to find a way

When the duo faced off at the same stage at last year’s US Open, Nadal recovered from a set down to race to a 4-6 6-0 -3 6-2 victory en route to his third title in New York. Prior to that match, Del Potro had battled past Dominic Thiem in five sets and Federer in four, arriving with little in the tank to face the 17-time Grand Slam champion. Similarly, when they faced off at Wimbledon in July, it was the Argentine who looked dead on his feet despite pushing the Spaniard to a 7-5 6-7(7) 4-6 6-4 6-4 victory over four hours and 47 minutes.

In both matches, Del Potro led by a set only to fall short, a testament to his game’s ability to hurt Nadal, and the defending champion’s ability to find a way.

This time, however, their roles may be reversed: while Del Potro has dropped just one set and played a little over 13 hours en route to the semi-finals, Nadal has played 13 sets and 12-and-a-half hours of tennis in his past three matches alone. Will the two-day break before the semis prove long enough for Nadal to recover from his near-five-hour battle with Dominic Thiem, or will Del Potro seize his moment once more?

What they said…

Nadal on Del Potro: “He's a great player everywhere, but the challenge of playing him on hard [courts], of course, is even higher for me personally than playing against him on clay, like at Roland-Garros. I know he's playing well. I know that I will have to play at my highest level to keep having chances of success.”

Del Potro on Nadal: “It could be another big battle as the Wimbledon match was. Of course, I like to play always with the World No.1, it doesn’t matter the tournament or the conditions or the weather. I just have the chance to play the greatest in this sport, and it’s amazing for me.”

Novak Djokovic vs Kei Nishikori

All four men in the US Open semi-finals have contested the title match in New York, but Kei Nishikori is the only one without a Grand Slam title to his name. The good news for the Japanese No.21 seed – who made history by joining compatriot Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals, a first for the nation – is that he won his only other US Open showdown with Novak Djokovic at the same stage in 2014. The bad news? Since then, he is 13-0 against the Serbian (14-2 overall).

It has been a rocky few seasons for the former world No.4, whose ranking dipped below No.20 for the first time in almost a year on the eve of the tournament. With just one title win since the start of the 2016 season, and having missed both the 2017 US Open and 2018 Australian Open with a lingering wrist injury, it has been a welcome return to form for the 28-year-old, who reached the fourth round at Roland-Garros before a first quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon.

A last-eight victory in five sets over Marin Cilic, who beat him to claim the 2014 US Open title, was every bit as impressive as it was cathartic, judging by the wide grin that broke across Nishikori’s face at its conclusion.

New season, similar conditions

Djokovic ended Nishikori’s run at the All England Club in July on his way to the title, putting his own injury demons to rest in the process. The 13-time Grand Slam champion, a winner in New York in both 2011 and 2015, has had a rollercoaster ride of his own over the past two seasons culminating in a six-month break and elbow surgery, but having won 24 of his last 26 matches – including victory in Cincinnati that saw him become the first man to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles – he is approaching his very best once more.

It was a sweltering September day in Queens back in 2014 when Nishikori became the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam final by beating Djokovic, denying the Serbian a fifth consecutive final appearance. Similar conditions have taken their toll on the 31-year-old already in this year’s tournament, notably against Marton Fucsovics in the first round and Joao Sousa in the last 16. But with cooler weather on the way, both men should expect to be at their physical best on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It will be down to Nishikori to make lightning strike twice in New York, while Djokovic will be looking to claim a 14th consecutive win.

What they said…

Djokovic on Nishikori: “He’s got one of the best two-handed backhands in the game and very quick. If not the quickest, then one of the quickest players on the tour. He has phenomenal footwork. Probably the biggest match I lost against him was here back in 2014. He loves playing here obviously.”

Nishikori on Djokovic: “I don't have a great record against Novak, but it's always been a tough match in the past couple of years. It's a great challenge for me. It is always exciting to play him.”