Roddick, Stepanek withdraw to set up Wawrinka-Djokovic final in Rome

Fernando Gonzalez, last year's finalist, pulled out of his third-round match with Nicolas Almagro citing a right leg injury, and Almagro retired in the quarterfinals against Djokovic with a wrist problem.

Argentine qualifier Juan Martin Del Potro withdrew in the first round against Andy Murray.

Five withdrawals set the record for the Rome tournament.

The ATP said it marked the first time in the history of the Masters Series that both semifinals ended with retirements. Tour officials could not say if it had ever happened in another tournament.

There have been some notable retirements in finals, with Justine Henin's withdrawal against Amelie Mauresmo in the 2006 Australian Open the best recent example. Henin pulled out while trailing 6-1, 2-0.

"It happens once in a while, but never anything like this -- a tournament without semifinals," said American tennis commentator Bud Collins, who attends the Rome tournament every year.

Collins also recalled the 1931 Wimbledon final, which was supposed to be an all-American matchup between Sidney Wood and Frank Shields. Shields injured his ankle in the semifinals and wanted to play the final, but his Davis Cup captain wouldn't let him so he could recover for a tie the following week.

Davis Cup has since taken a back seat to the Grand Slams for most players, who complain now that there are simply too many tournaments and virtually no offseason. This year's schedule is even more cramped because of the Olympics.

"I've been saying for years: I think the schedule needs to be adjusted, and there needs to be a little bit of time to recover at the end of the year," Roddick said.

"I think this week it's probably coincidental. You can go a week without anybody doing it, and this week there was three or four. I put that up to coincidence."

Fans started whistling and booing after the day's second retirement, and an announcement was made that those in attendance would get 50 percent off tickets for next week's women's tournament.

However, the top-ranked Henin has already withdrawn from the women's event, citing fatigue.

In the meantime, there is still the men's final Sunday.

Djokovic holds a 3-2 career edge over Wawrinka, with the Swiss player winning their only previous matchup on clay two years ago -- when Djokovic retired with breathing problems.