Nadal hunting US Open hat-trick

While, to the dismay of many, an opening New York chapter in the storied Roger-Rafa rivalry has been denied yet again, and thus perhaps forever, Nadal’s romp into his first US Open semi-final since 2013 leaves the Spaniard a warm favourite to win his first non-claycourt title of a compelling season.

While the giant shadow of Fed-slayer Juan Martin del Potro still looms large, and however hard it will be to top Nadal’s extraordinary 10th French Open triumph at the personal coliseum that is Court Philippe Chatrier, a third major flourish at Flushing Meadows would add a hardcourt exclamation mark that few had seen coming.

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When the now-31-year-old started 2017 at the Brisbane International, he was resuming from a break that was overshadowed by Federer’s return from his extended post-Wimbledon hiatus. Yet it was soon apparent that a slightly extended off-season had helped to repair and prepare Nadal for what has turned out to be a mighty renaissance.

There has since been a finals appearance on the Melbourne Park hardcourts, and now a semi, at least, in New York. In between, there were just a lazy four claycourt titles – Monte Carlo, Barcelona, the Rome Masters and Paris. Of course there were.

On Wednesday, US time, Nadal gave Russian teen Andrey Rublev a straight sets lesson he won’t forget in a hurry, to hastily fulfil his side of the Rafa-Roger bargain. It was Federer who faltered, as Del Potro spoiled the party planned for the pair who share 34 Grand Slam singles titles.

So carried away had everyone become with the prospect of the duo’s first US Open meeting – and 38th overall – that it almost seemed like there could be no other result. It was left to another admirable and much-loved figure, the injury-cursed Argentine, to prove otherwise.

Which still leaves the semi between two former US Open champions as the contest far more likely to produce the 2017 winner than that between Kevin Anderson and Pablo Carreno Busta.

For Nadal, it also leaves much work still to be done.

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While the left-hander has won almost 92 percent of his career matches – and 53 of his 73 singles titles – on his favourite clay, the numbers on hardcourt are closer to 77 percent and 16. Hardly shabby numbers, of course, but 11 of his 12 titles won since saluting in Doha in early 2015 have been on clay and the other on grass.

He leads Del Potro 8-5 overall but, interestingly, trails 4-5 on outdoor hardcourts. Their one meeting on Arthur Ashe Stadium propelled Del Potro into his maiden Grand Slam final, back in 2009 when anything seemed possible before four bouts of wrist surgery dramatically curtailed his progress. And we all know what happened next.

In a media conference dominated by talk of the Federer rematch that now isn’t, there was just one question for Nadal about the potential clash that now actually awaits against the 24th seed whose forehand the world No.1 rates as probably the fastest on tour. Little changes for Nadal, though, just as the fact he is yet to play his his pal Roger in New York still has not.

“The strategy is always the same. That is play very well,” smiled the US Open champion of 2010 and 2013 after dominating Rublev. He did. So did Del Potro. If not the contest so many had circled when the draw was made, an enthralling semi still awaits.