{"id":4724,"date":"2018-09-08T16:29:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-08T16:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betting.ca\/news\/?p=4724"},"modified":"2018-09-08T16:29:51","modified_gmt":"2018-09-08T16:29:51","slug":"rafael-nadal-exits-semifinals-del-potro-and-djokovic-advance-to-mens-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betting.ca\/news\/rafael-nadal-exits-semifinals-del-potro-and-djokovic-advance-to-mens-final","title":{"rendered":"Rafael Nadal Exits Semifinals \u2013 del Potro and Djokovic Advance to Men\u2019s Final"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rafael Nadal shakes hands with Juan del Potro after knee issues cause Nadal to retire from the U.S. Open semifinals<\/p><\/div>\n

Rafael Nadal was struggling as heat and pain to his knee plagued him in his semifinal match again Juan Martin del Potro<\/a>. For del Potro, it was not how he hoped to advance to the finals, but with Nadal\u2019s exit, that is exactly what happened.<\/p>\n

Nadal chose to exit the semifinal after feeling movement in his knee that he described as \u201cbad\u201d. Rafael Nadal<\/a> has been dealing with knee issues on and off for years and is one that is familiar to the star player. One that he pays attention to versus risk further problems.<\/p>\n

Nadal won last year\u2019s U.S. Open and was hoping to win back-to-back championships but knew early on that something was wrong. After two sets, Nadal chose to exit the match awarding del Potro a place in the men\u2019s finals on Sunday. This will be his first final since winning the U.S. Open in 2009<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After the match, Nadal said,<\/p>\n

“That was not a tennis match at the end. Just one player playing, the other staying on one side of the court. I hate to retire, but staying one more set out there, playing like this, would be too much for me.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sunday will see del Potro, who is seeded 3rd, facing 6th seeded Novak Djokovic, who earned his spot in the finals after eliminating Kei Nishikori in their semifinal. This will the eighth time Djokovic has made it to the finals at the U.S. Open, having won two of those, he is hoping Sunday will mark his third. Commenting on his win, Djokovic said,<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t know how it looked, but it felt really good. Great intensity, great focus, good game plan. Obviously easier said than done. You have to execute the shots.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

U.S. Open<\/strong><\/p>\n