Rafael Nadal (Photo : Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal is just a win away from securing an Olympic Medal for Spain, but it would be a test facing Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who has been the surprising underdog in the men's singles tennis at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.
Nadal hopes to keep his bid for a second Gold Medal alive when he faces Del Potro, who continues an impressive run that kick started after defeating world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the opening round. Nadal overcame a hostile pro-Thomaz Bellucci crowd and came back to defeat the No. 54 ranked Brazilian 2-6 6-4 6-2 on Friday.
"Being at the semi-finals is something that a few days ago I wouldn't even imagine," Nadal said, reports Yahoo Sports. "I don't even know how things are going so well because I didn't do any preparation for the tournament."
Nadal was never considered a top favorite entering the tennis tournament at the Olympic Games as the King of Clay is coming off a left wrist injury that sidelined him for more than two months. But while Nadal is not in the best form of his career, the 14-time Grand Slam winner continues to surprise fans and seemingly reverting back into vintage Rafa.
However, a semifinal blockbuster match with del Potro, who defeated Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5 7-6(4), could threaten any of Nadal's hopes for another Olympic glory.
Del Potro slipped from world No. 4 to rank 141 after undergoing three surgeries in recent years and missing a chunk of competitive matches in the last two seasons. But the 27-year-old Argentine has suddenly turned the tides in Rio, which kick started after eliminating Djokovic from the singles competition.
"Every time I play here, the crowd makes me cry," Del Potro, the 2012 bronze medallist, said.
Nadal leads Del Porto by 8-4 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head career matchups, but the latter has won their last meeting back in 2013 at the ATP World Tour Masters in Shanghai.
The winner between Nadal and Del Potro will have a chance to face either world No. 2 Andy Murray or Kei Nishikori who battles each other in the other half of the semifinal stage.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch 2016 Rio Olympics tennis men's singles: Rafael Nadal vs Juan Martin del Potro live via NBC. Live score updates will be available during game days at ATP World Tour's official website.
