Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion who was pushed to the brink of retirement by years of wrist trouble, downed Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 7-6 (7/4). So that works for me!
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This much-anticipated semifinal match started with del Potro breaking Nadal’s serve, the Spaniard wasting a 30-15 lead. This is once-every-four-years kind of stuff.
That’s two comebacks for Murray after Fognini also had him by a break in the third.
The gentle Argentinian with the monster forehand lay flat on the court after pulling off a 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7/5) victory over Nadal in a thrilling three-hour contest. Lost a break n the second but hung on.
“It’s not the medal I wish but still it’s silver, and before I came here I said to myself I would do everything to win a medal and I won a silver one and I’m proud to represent my country and to take an Olympic medal back home”.
The set ended 6-4 for Nadal and Lopez who got the gold medal.
The crowds at the tennis, in common with many other venues, have been largely disappointing but this was a gladiatorial match played in a Davis Cup-style din.
“It means a lot to me”.
But the Puerto Rican hit back in the final set.
Murray moved into the Rio Games final by easily beating Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday.
The most memorable moment of Murray’s straightfoward win over Nishikori came right at the end.
“I tried my best”.
Of the foursome, I have to peg Murray as the freshest. But nothing else slowed him down on this afternoon. And head-to-head in this one it’s been all Murray leading 6-1. “But he has struggled to be fit in recent years”. And we know he’s not the toughest guy out there anyway. “I just need to try and be in good shape for the final”, he said. “Once a guy slips a gold medal around his neck, we’ll all understand how important it is”. “It’s enough for me”.
Stenson’s day was exciting because of a wedge, just not for a shot that he played with it.
“Bit of a lucky shot”, Murray said. “For me it has nothing to do with having won the gold in London”.
Perhaps not in the first South American Olympics.
The left wrist bowl? Nadal then held for a 5-4 lead. Can the returning Del Potro blast through the Nadal defence? Del Potro looks as healthy as he has in quite some time and managed to survive a classic third set against one of the greatest of all time. Except Del Potro won’t fold.
But the other player he’ll be facing across the net is a former gold medalist from Beijing, Rafa.
“You don’t see this in singles, but he volleys really well”.
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Nishikori and Nadal will meet for the bronze medal today.
