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Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 ranked player and defending US Open champion, retired from his semifinal match with Juan Martin del Potro on Friday.
Nadal stopped play with del Potro leading 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, citing trouble with his right knee. He walked to del Potro’s chair after the second set and shook his hand. The players embraced, and Nadal walked out to an enormous cheer.
Nadal, a 17-time Grand Slam champion who also won at Flushing Meadows in 2010 and 2013, had his right knee wrapped twice during the match.
Afterward, he said the knee had not bothered him Thursday or earlier Friday.
Nadal called for a trainer as he held serve to lead 4-3 in the opening set. The trainer wrapped his right knee. Nadal removed the tape later in the set. The trainer returned early in the second set to wrap it again and massage his upper leg. Nadal appeared to be in pain and limped through the rest of the second set.
Del Potro, who won his only Grand Slam title in 2009 when he beat Roger Federer in five sets at the US Open, will meet the winner of the Novak Djokovic-Kei Nishikori semifinal on Sunday.
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“Well, of course it’s not the best way to win a match. I love to play against Rafa because he’s the biggest fighter in this sport. I don’t like to see him suffering on the court like today. I’m sad for him, but I’m also happy, too,” Del Potro said.
Nadal has retired in two other Grand Slam tournaments – the 2010 and 2018 Australian Open, also on hardcourt.
The clay-court master already had played nearly 16 hours on the hardcourt before starting against del Potro on Friday. His epic five-set, nearly five-hour quarterfinal win Wednesday that went until after 2 a.m. ET, might have proved too much from which to recover.
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