Moving closer to Federer-Nadal final at US Open

NEW YORK (AP) — Looking back at recent U.S. Opens, Rafael Nadal sees simple explanations for why it's the only Grand Slam tournament he has yet to win.

In 2008, Nadal says now, "I was ready to do something very important here ... but mentally, I was destroyed" by the time the semifinals rolled around. He lost in that round.

In 2009, he reminds everyone, it was an accomplishment simply to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows, given that he was playing with an inch-long tear in his abdominal muscle. He lost in that round again.

And 2010? This year, Nadal says, is different. He is sound of body and mind as he approaches Saturday's semifinals at the U.S. Open, the only …