Sandra Harwitt Special to USA TODAY Sports NEW YORK — World No. 1 and defending champion Rafael Nadal, restricted by a right knee injury, retired from his US Open semifinal against third-seeded Juan Martin del Potro with the Argentine leading 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. “I waited as much as I can,” said Nadal, who acknowledged the knee has been a concern throughout the tournament. “You could imagine very difficult for me to say good-bye before the match finish. But at some point, you have to take a decision. “It was so difficult for me to keep playing that way, having too much pain,” he added. “That was not a tennis match at the end. It was just one player playing, the other one staying on the other side of the court.” When Nadal approached del Potro to say he had no choice but to give up on the match, the two had a rather lengthy conversation and shared a hug on the court. Nadal walked out to an enormous cheer. “Of course, it’s not the best way to win a match,” del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, told the crowd. “I love to play against Rafa because he is the biggest fighter. Don’t like to see him suffer like he was today. Anyway, the key of the match was the first set and we both played good tennis. “I’m so happy to be in the final again.” This is the third time that Nadal has retired in a Grand Slam match and the second this year. He retired this year in the Australian Open quarterfinals, in the fifth set against Marin Cilic. He also retired against Andy Murray in the 2010 Australian Open quarterfinals. For Nadal, there was deep disappointment considering that since his return from missing much of the latter half of the 2016 season to a wrist injury he’s won three of his 17 Grand Slam titles. He won back-to-back French Open trophies which increased his record to 11 French Open victories, and the 2017 US Open. He also advanced to the 2017 Australian Open final. More:Best-of-five or best-of-three? Some argue players, fans better served with shorter matches “I’m having two great years, last year was a fantastic year,” said Nadal, who holds a 45-4 record in matches this season. “This year has been a fantastic year until this moment. I lost four matches, two of them I had to retire. “Negative thing is two of them (I retired in) have been in quarterfinals and semifinals of a Grand Slam, close to fight for the titles. That’s frustrating.“ Nadal, who is a three-time US Open champion, initially seemed fine at the outset of the match, but indicated the problem started again at 2-2, 15-love in the first set. He eventually had the trainer on court after the seventh game of the first set to wrap the knee. A couple of games later he removed the bandage, but then had it back on in the second set. Nadal, who also had his knee wrapped when playing Russian Karen Khachanov in the third round, was able to save two break points with del Potro serving for the first set at 5-4. In the end, he netted a backhand on a third set point at 6-3 in the tiebreaker. Nadal, a clay-court master, already had played nearly 16 hours on the hard court before starting against del Potro on Friday. His epic five-set, nearly five-hour quarterfinal win against Dominic Thiem on Wednesday might have proved too much from which to recover. The match went until after 2 a.m. ET. It’s been nine years since del Potro won his lone Grand Slam title. Soon after he started to suffer from multiple wrist injuries and underwent four wrist surgeries, which played serious havoc with his career. “The worst moment was in 2015 when I was close to quit this sport because I couldn’t find a way to fix my wrist problems,” said del Potro, now enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 3. “I been suffering a lot. I got depressed for couple of months, also. “But I think that is completely in the past, and I’m having a good present, looking forward to the future. I didn’t expect to get this kind of emotions playing tennis again. Reaching finals, winning titles, having my highest ranking ever in this moment, everything is almost perfect.” Having gone through lengthy and serious injuries, Nadal knows what returning to a Grand Slam final must mean to the popular Argentine. “He’s a player that went through a lot of issues during his career like me, too,” Nadal said. “I know how tough is this thing. I know how much frustration can be when you can’t do the thing that you want to do. “For him, it will be huge if he’s able to win again a Grand Slam.” Del Potro will play the winner of the semifinal between sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic and 21st-seeded Kei Nishikori. Contributing: Heather Tucker<doc-sep>Rafael Nadal pulled out of the US Open with a knee injury When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Nadal’s future was topic of debate on The Tennis Podcast on Friday following his exit from the US Open. The Spaniard withdrew from his semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in the third set with a knee injury. Law and his co-host Catherine Whitaker were discussing what Rafael Nadal would do once he retires from the game. And Law says he can see the 32-year-old staying involved in tennis and coaching others.<doc-sep>Rafael Nadal was forced to retire from a major showdown for the second time this season, pulling out of his semi-final against Juan Martín del Potro after losing the first two sets. The warning signs were there from the moment when Nadal called the trainer on to the court to apply tape to his cranky right knee, which has been an issue since his third-round match against Karen Khachanov. Coming into this semi-final, he had already spent almost 16 hours on court. And he revealed afterwards that he had felt a sharp pain in his knee as early as the fifth game. “It was very difficult to say goodbye before the match has finished,” said Nadal, who also retired from Australian Open quarter-final against Marin Cilic in January. “But it was not a tennis match at the end. It was one tennis player playing, the other standing at the side of the court.” Del Potro was leading 7-6, 6-2 at the time of Nadal’s retirement, and will now play his first major final since he won the title here in 2009.<doc-sep>US Open: Nadal says he ‘hates retiring’ but pain was too much FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Nadal was forced to call it a day at two sets down against Juan Martin del Potro during the semi-final in the early hours of the morning. The Spaniard has now had to withdraw from two Grand Slams this year due to injury as his knee problems continue to torment his career. He twice needed medical attention before conceding at Flushing Meadows, sending Del Potro into the final for the first time since 2009 where he will face Novak Djokovic. "It was difficult for me to keep playing. I was in too much pain," said the 32-year-old Spaniard. "It was one player playing and one on the other side of the court. I hate retiring - but to stay one more set out there playing like that is too much for me." He was visibly emotional on court knowing his chance of an 18th Grand Slam was gone. And in the press conference after he was asked if playing on hard courts was difficult because of his condition. All the Spaniard could muster in response was: “It’s okay” before tearing up. Rafael Nadal was reduced to tears when talking about his knee injury Rafael Nadal was reduced to tears when asked about the injury in his press conference Rafael Nadal was in serious pain during his US Open semi-final Nadal won the US Open last year and has won four slams on the hard courts in New York and Australia. But the 32-year-old insists he has to constantly manage his body and stresses the current injury is not one that will need much recovery, just careful management. “Just about do treatment,” he said when asked about the recovery process. “Is not an injury that tells you three weeks off and you are back. Is not an injury that tells you six months off, you are back. “Is maybe an injury that in one week you feel better, is an injury that maybe in six months you don't feel better. Rafael Nadal looked to be in tears on the court when receiving attention US Open: Nadal forced to retire due to knee injury “I know what is going on with the knee. But the good thing is I know how I have to work to be better as soon as possible because we have a lot of experience on that. “I am sure will not be the six months off. I was just making a comparison. Is not an injury like when you break something, something like this. “It is an injury that is a tendinitis. Then is a decision about yourself, about if you want to wait till you feel almost nothing or you want to keep going with pain, so... “Is not the moment to think.” Rafael Nadal was forced to retire from the US Open with a knee injury<doc-sep>
Rafael Nadal was struck with injury at the start of the second set in his semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro 2018 US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 27 August-9 September Coverage: Live radio commentaries on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and text updates on the BBC Sport website. World number one Rafael Nadal says he "will keep fighting and working hard" after he was forced to retire from his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro because of a knee injury. The three-time champion retired at the end of the second set with Del Potro leading 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 on Arthur Ashe. "I will keep going. That is all," Nadal said in a post-match press conference. "These moments are tough but I have to keep going and working hard to get more opportunities." Nadal has reached four Grand Slam finals in the last two years - winning the US Open in 2017 and back-to-back French Open titles in 2017 and 2018. The 17-time Grand Slam champion also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this year, as well as the semi-finals at Wimbledon. "I am having two great years so I just have to enjoy the moments. This year has been fantastic until this moment," he added. "I am playing the right way and enjoying things. I am having success at the age of 32. A lot of people in this room, including me, didn't think I would be at this level at this age. "I still have a passion for the game so I will keep fighting and working hard." Nadal, who will also miss Spain's Davis Cup semi-final against France next weekend, said he "hated retiring" but was in "too much pain" to continue the defence of his US Open title. The Spaniard has suffered from tendonitis in his knee in the past and spent eight months away from tennis between 2012 and 2013. He missed around three months in 2014 and 2016 because of difficulties with wrist injuries and appendicitis. "All my career everybody said that because of my style, I will have a short career," he added. "But I'm still here." Experience is key to recovery - Nadal Rafael Nadal was on court for around 16 hours throughout the US Open before his retirement in the semi-final The world number one doesn't expect to be out for long and claims his team are "experienced" at dealing with his knee injuries. "I cannot compare the knee with other times as the pain is always very similar. This time it was a little bit more aggressive with my movement," said Nadal. "I don't know what can happen in a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Mentally it is much worse. I know what I have. It is a similar thing to always so it is about good treatment. "It is not an injury that tells you, 'three weeks off, you are back. Six months off you are back.' I know what I have to do to be better as soon as possible. I am sure it will not be six months off of course, I was just making a comparison." Analysis BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller Nadal hates retiring but - as he said - there was only one player playing come the end of the second set. There was no way back: not just because of the knee, but because of the way Del Potro was, and has been, playing. Close to abandoning his career in 2015, after a sequence of unsuccessful wrist surgeries, no-one is more deserving of a place in the US Open final. Nadal's cruel luck with injury continues, and who knows whether we will see him again this year? But at 32, and having spent countless weeks and months on the physio's couch, it was reassuring to see him walk straight into the interview room and look to the future. He says he still has the appetite for rehab, and most definitely for more Grand Slam titles.