Juan Martin Del Potro won the US Open in 2009, but his success since then has been scattered, to say the least. Del Potro, a Grand Slam winner, entered the 2016 Rio Olympics without being seeded. Now he finds himself in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal, the third seed and one of the best players in the world.
Del Potro vs. Nadal is expected to begin around 1 p.m. ET, on Centre Court, following the semfinal matchup between Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori. A live stream will be available via NBC Sports, and will be televised by Bravo.
Del Potro has been here before, and while his recent history hasn't been filled with wins like Nadal's has, he's got a lot going for him: he's playing some of the best tennis of his career in the Olympics. Oh, and he happened to eliminate Novak Djokovic, the top seed and best player in the world, in the opening round of the men's singles bracket.
But Nadal and Del Potro have a lengthy history, having played 12 times in the past. In those matches, Nadal has won eight of them, including five of their last six. But Del Potro did take the most recent, a win in the Shanghai Masters semifinals back in 2013. But not having played in three years, the head-to-head doesn't mean a whole lot.
Nadal is trying for his second ever singled gold medal after winning it in Beijing in 2008. But he grabbed his second gold medal overall on Friday, when he won the doubles competition. Despite struggles with injuries in recent years, Nadal has looked great in the Olympics and he will be a handful for anyone, including Del Potro.
But Del Potro has obviously dealt with handfuls already to this point. He took down Djokovic, and in the quarterfinals he managed to defeat Roberto Bautista Agut, a tough player and the 10th seed for the Olympics. Saturday's semifinal should be a good one to watch, to say the least.
Nadal vs. Del Potro coverage for Saturday
Time: no sooner than 1 p.m. ET start
TV: Bravo
Streaming: NBC Sports Olympic Coverage
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