Top seed Rafael Nadal reached the second round of the US Open in disappointing fashion on Monday night when his fellow Spaniard and good friend David Ferrer was forced to retire midway through the second set with a calf injury.
Nadal led 6-3, 3-4 when Ferrer decided he could not play on, rising from his chair at the changeover and embracing the world No. 1 before closing his grand slam career. The retirement was Ferrer’s only in 208 grand slam matches.
As Nadal, the three-time US Open champion seeking to win for a second straight year, marched on, Ferrer moved one step closer to closing his storied career. The two-time semifinalist in New York has struggled since winning a crucial Davis Cup rubber in April, winning just two matches since. The 36-year-old will likely officially retire after a Spanish tournament next year.
He had his first noticeable issues with his calf after the first set on a sweltering night in New York, when he saw the trainer. Ferrer was then clearly hampered in the opening games of the set and the trainer returned, but Ferrer later broke Nadal with a well-placed forehand pass on the run.
He maintained that advantage — unlike after the opening game of the set, where he handed back a break — until he could play no longer, closing his streak of 16 consecutive grand slams in New York.
“I feel bad. I tried to play,” Ferrer said on-court. “I have really good memories here at the US Open. This is the last grand slam of my career. I’m sorry because I can’t finish the match.”
Nadal had played a strong if not overwhelming first set, securing an early break and holding it throughout the set as he faced no break points. He then won the set with a second break, closing a frame in which both players were drenched from the high temperature and overpowering humidity.
Each player hit 16 winners in the truncated match; Nadal earned six break points to just three for Ferrer en route to a second round match with Vasek Pospisil. But disappointment and sadness overshadowed the play on court, as Nadal watched his friend leave in distress.
