Nadal defeated Bellucci in three sets.
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Spaniard Rafael Nadal paid tribute to Juan Martin del Potro, opting against blaming tiredness for his loss at Rio 2016. In the eleventh game, Nadal held for a 6-5 lead after being forced to deuce.
But they swept through five matches in Rio and won the gold by holding off a third-set charge from Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau of Romania 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
“Being at the semi-finals is something that a few days ago I wouldn’t even imagine”, Nadal said, reports Yahoo Sports.
Meanwhile, Murray insisted he’s ready to conquer the challenge of becoming the first player to win back-to-back Olympic golds. Murray bounced back after trailing by a break in the deciding frame to scrape past Steve Johnson 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (2).
It’s been a tough road back for del Potro, who got down on his back, spread-eagle, near the Olympic logo after the riveting semifinal ended with Nadal sailing a forehand wide.
On the other hand, Nishikori earned a spot in the semis following a thrilling encounter with Gael Monfils of France. Nadal, the 2008 Men’s Singles Gold medal victor, now has two Golds in his trophy case with the chance for a third in Men’s Singles this year.
Australian Open champion Kerber downed American seventh seed Madison Keys 6-3, 7-5, reaching the final without dropping a set.
“It’s so nice. I can not believe it”, the Argentinian said. “It’s about Puerto Rico, and I know how bad they want this”. But instead of another medal of that color, he will try to go home with a bronze by beating Nishikori on Sunday not bad, considering Nadal missed 2 months with an injured left wrist.
“It is a privilege to be able to share this moment with one of my best friends”, he said. He played less aggressively and dropped in the rankings following relatively early exits at major tournaments.
A dramatic day of singles action at the Rio Olympics saw three of the top four seeds in the tournament book their spots in the semifinals.
Nadal got broken to trail 5-4 in the third set, allowing del Potro to serve for the match. He was broken twice and never earned so much as a single break chance.
The Swiss duo Czech duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to set up a final clash with Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina on Sunday.
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The court favours Nadal slightly, but what we have the seen from the tall Argentinian so far is that his forehand can penetrate through even the slowest of hard courts. At the time, it appeared to be a sign of frustration. “I didn’t expect to beat Novak tonight”, Del Potro admitted after that match.
