Rafael Nadal isn't one to rush. When the chair umpire calls time at the end of the pre-match warm up, Nadal continues to serve. And serve. And serve. When he lines up to serve in a match, he bounces the ball over and over, picks at his shorts, flexes his knees, wriggles his front foot, and stares at the court. When his opponent serves, Nadal slowly towels off between points, whether he's been sweating for five minutes or five hours.
What a surprise, then, to see Nadal bounding out his chair Saturday before the changeover music inside Arthur Ashe Stadium had ended. Leading 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 5-0 and perhaps sensing that more rain was on its way, Nadal, impatient on a tennis court for the first time in his life, charged through one more service game and put himself in the semifinals for a second straight year. Better still, he did it in a way that leaves him just as rested as the other three men who remain in the draw.
Nadal couldn't have asked for more. Last year, he had a brutal summer that brought him the No. 1 ranking and an Olympic gold medal, but ruined his chances in Flushing.
"Last year I was totally destroyed mentally," Nadal said. "Mentally this year I am perfect."
Nadal ought to be fine physically, too. He played a mere 34 minutes on Saturday, which amounts to a modest practice session. He made two unforced errors and won 31 points; Gonzalez committed 24 errors and had more broken racquets (one) than break point chances. From this point on, all four men are on equal footing and the forecast is for sunny skies.
Nadal has the tougher test tomorrow, though. Just as Nadal presents unusual difficulties for Federer, del Potro poses unique problems for Nadal. Nadal's high-bouncing topspin doesn't bother del Potro, who is 6-foot-6, as much as it does other players, and Nadal’s habit of peppering his opponents' backhand wing won't be as effective against del Potro's sturdy and powerful two-hander. Del Potro isn't terribly awkward, either, considering his size. As Nadal elegantly put it, "For his altitude, his movements is okay, no?" Del Potro has beaten Nadal twice this season and lost to him once.
"Del Potro's playing awfully good," Nick Bollettieri said when asked to assess Nadal's chances. "[Del Potro] is confident, he stays within himself, he's going to get a lot of defensive returns off his serve, and you're not going to beat him going crosscourt to his backhand."
Even though Nadal is more rested than he might have expected to be and playing first tomorrow, Bollettieri believes the Spaniard has the more difficult path to a title, largely because his serve hasn't produced many free points this tournament (Nadal continues to nurse an abdominal injury).
"He may get through del Potro," Bollettieri said. "But if Federer wins, I don't think Nadal will get through both."
Tom Perrotta is a senior editor at TENNIS magazine. Follow him on Twitter.