Only a few minutes to 3 o'clock on the Italian night when Federer and del Potro, the protagonists of the last quarter final, probably the one with the most “appeal”, take the field at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Swiss tennis player, as expected, collects most of the approval of the audience watching the match, but the Argentine also has his nice support, even if not comparable to what was seen during the last match two days before at the Grandstand, transformed on the occasion into a sort of bombonera.
The two players come from physical problems that had "crippled" them in previous matches, but they both seem to have passed the worst phase. Federer continues to suffer from back pain that in the previous round, at some point, had also made the intervention of a doctor necessary. Del Potro, back from a strong influence that had even brought him one step away from retirement. The champions grit their teeth, the call of the semifinal is too strong, where a certain Rafa Nadal awaits them in what seems to be an early final and from the outcome of which, with great probability, the winner of the last Slam of the year, the US Open.
Federer starts with the role of favorite, but Del Potro is the so-called "tough nut". The way in which the Argentine manages to overturn the results of the previous round against the Austrian Thiem, must not have made His Majesty Roger Federer sleep peacefully, who has a bad memory of Del Potro. The final of the US Open played in 2009. Federer came from winning 5 consecutive editions of the prestigious US Grand Slam and aimed to continue the tradition. Del Potro brought him back down to earth and won what still remains his only career Slam.
History seems to repeat itself, and in this re-edition of the final 8 years away, the Argentine tennis player repeats the feat and beats Roger Federer in front of an audience that, compared to an early match in which he sided almost entirely for the Swiss tennis player, with the passing of the minutes shows numerically more balanced support for the two contenders.
Speaking of the public, it is striking that for the first time since time immemorial, cheering is not all on Federer's side and this is news. Then the DJ Arthur Ashe thinks about it who foments the numerous and noisy biancoceleste representative present in the stands, broadcasting the audio of a piece, which with due comparisons has become in recent years a sort of modern version of the "Charging ":" Seven Nation Army "by the White Stripes.
After 2 hours and 52 minutes of play, with the result of 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, the Argentine Del Potro surprisingly wins against a Federer in growing condition but who wasted too much to be able to emerge unscathed from such a demanding encounter and to be able to try to undermine that n. 1 of the ATP ranking more and more firmly in the hands of Rafa Nadal.
GB
Photo: repubblica.it