Hard to believe that this is the same Rafael Nadal who was sent packing in the first round of Wimbledon in June, losing agaisnst someone who is ranked 135th. Looking fit as can be & better than ever, the World number 2 pulled off an amazing victory from the World number 1, Novak Djokovic 6-2,3-6,6-4,6-1 on Monday for his 1th Grand slam title. They started in sunlight & finished at night, a 3-hour, 21-minute miniseries of cliffhangers & a pair of legends who inspired standing ovations in the middle of the games. This was their 37th match against each other, the most between any players in the open era & Nadal has won 22. It was also their 3rd head-to-head US OPEN final in last 4 years. Nadal beat Djokovic in 2010 & Djokovic beat Nadal in 2011. They know each other's game so well & played very similar styles, but in the end it was Nadal who was superior.
Nadal improved to 22-0, perfect record on hard courts & 60-3 overall in 2013 with 9 titles to his name, including French Open, which made him the first man with atleast 1 grand slam trophy in nine cosecutive seasons. The Spaniard's total of 13 major titles now ranks him 3rd in the history of tennis, behind only Roger Federer (17) & Pete Sampras (14). These are the same 2 who playedthe longest grand slam in the history, a nearly 6-hour struggle that left both meeding to sit in chairs during the ceremony after Djokovic;s victory at the 2012 Australian Open.
This time when it ended with a forehand into the net by Djokovic, Nadal dropped to his back on the court, having a standing ovation by the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that included the Queen Of Spain. Nadal was relentless from shot to shot & yes, from point to point, too. But, what was really awesome to see that Rafa continued to show his calmness on the court & didn't do things in a hasty manner, His calm & composure & superb game made him the US OPEN Champion..!! RAFA you deserve it.. :)
Nadal improved to 22-0, perfect record on hard courts & 60-3 overall in 2013 with 9 titles to his name, including French Open, which made him the first man with atleast 1 grand slam trophy in nine cosecutive seasons. The Spaniard's total of 13 major titles now ranks him 3rd in the history of tennis, behind only Roger Federer (17) & Pete Sampras (14). These are the same 2 who playedthe longest grand slam in the history, a nearly 6-hour struggle that left both meeding to sit in chairs during the ceremony after Djokovic;s victory at the 2012 Australian Open.
This time when it ended with a forehand into the net by Djokovic, Nadal dropped to his back on the court, having a standing ovation by the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that included the Queen Of Spain. Nadal was relentless from shot to shot & yes, from point to point, too. But, what was really awesome to see that Rafa continued to show his calmness on the court & didn't do things in a hasty manner, His calm & composure & superb game made him the US OPEN Champion..!! RAFA you deserve it.. :)
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