Rafael Nadal went into his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro with a relatively simple game plan: stay away from the big guy’s flat, fearsome forehand and go after his weaker backhand.
Nadal tried that strategy just long enough to drop the opening set. The Spanish master then changed tactics and strung nine games together after dropping the first set to beat the 2009 champion 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-2.
Now he takes on a man who has never been past the quarter-finals in a grand slam, Kevin Anderson of South Africa.
Closing in on a third title at Flushing Meadows and 16th grand slam crown, Nadal overcame that so-so start with an overwhelming performance ultimately. And he realised his mistake.
“I was wrong in the way that I was trying to play, no? … I started to understand a little bit better what I needed to do to try to be a little bit more unpredictable, because he was waiting for me in his backhand side,” Nadal said.
“He only had to cover 60 per cent of the court most of the time.”
Once the Spanish lefty started hitting more forehands down the line to the righthander’s backhand, Nadal found del Potro getting into trouble “because he didn’t know where to go”.
“He played so smart from the second set until the end of the match,” del Potro said.
“He was dominant.”
World No.1 Nadal will be the heavy favourite on Sunday against No.32 Anderson, who beat Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked US Open finalist since the ATP’s computer rankings began in 1973.
The 203cm Anderson, who won a NCAA doubles title at the University of Illinois, is equipped with a big serve, certainly, but a slam singles final is foreign territory. He’s also lost all four previous matches against Nadal.
Nadal looked as good as ever over the last three sets against del Potro, further confirming his return to the height of his powers. Nadal is again healthy and capable of excellence, after wrist and knee injuries had dulled his effectiveness in 2015 and 2016 – the first seasons since 2004 in which he not only failed to win a grand slam trophy but didn’t make a final.
“It’s been an amazing season, of course,” Nadal said, “after a couple of years with some troubles, injuries, tough moments.”
He reached the Australian Open final in January, losing to Roger Federer, then claimed his record 10th French Open championship in June.
Hours earlier, Anderson was so excited by his semi-final victory that he celebrated as if he’d been crowned champion, stepping on a chair and then a flower box to help him climb into his guest box in the stands.
“I don’t know if it’s appropriate,” Anderson said.
“It certainly felt the right thing to do.”