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NEW YORK. — From a threatened career to a threat to the record books, Rafael Nadal’s tennis resurgence continues after another extraordinary scrap against Novak Djokovic.
A US Open final that twisted and turned, crackled with quality and tension, ended with him beating the world No. 1 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to claim a second title at Flushing Meadows on Monday night.
He ended up curled up on the floor, apparently sobbing and struggling to take in the outcome of another ripsnorting contest against his most enduring rival.
The match unfolded in dramatic fashion in front of a Hollywood-led crowd of celebrities which included David Beckham, Kevin Spacey, Jessica Alba, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Connery and Justin Timberlake. Not your ordinary spectators, but in fairness it wasn’t your ordinary cast.
You didn’t think it would disappoint did you? It did not, and another tour de force from the 27 year-old Spaniard now sees him move to third on the all-time list of Grand Slam champions.
Having returned to action in February after a seven-month absence, he now has 13 Majors to his name, one behind Pete Sampras and four behind Roger Federer.
This was far more unexpected than his obligatory triumph at Roland Garros, and it took a monumental effort against the unyielding Serb, with the pivotal moments coming late in the third.
There was a dazzling array of all-court skills in a match which, while not among the marathons seen between them, still came in at three hours and 21 minutes. The key figure though, was Djokovic missing eight out of 11 break points, and Nadal taking seven out of 12.
“It’s very emotional now,” said Nadal. “Only my team can know how much this means. Nobody brings my game more to its limits than Novak does.”
“I never thought something like this could happen. I was so excited to be back on tour trying to be competitive.
“I never thought about competing for all that I competed for this year. All the Masters 1000s, two Grand Slams. It’ s just more than a dream for me, and I’m very happy for everything.
“I feel very lucky about what’s happened since I came back.”
It seems incidental that Nadal’s dominance of American hard courts this summer — all the more remarkable because of the damage they supposedly do to his knees — gained him a winner’s cheque of £2,3million, including a bonus for winning the “US Open Series” of events.
His indomitable spirit, which never shone through more than when he was being beaten up in the third, has conquered the massive obstacles placed before him.
When you consider where Nadal was a year ago it was all the more remarkable that he went into this match as the favourite.
Last September he had still not been able to hit a ball since Wimbledon, and was driving himself to distraction by having to swim length after length, not an activity he enjoys.
On this night last year it was, of course, Andy Murray centre stage, so it was quite some role reversal. This time the 26 year-old Scot was on the Croatian coast in Umag, preparing for Friday’s Davis Cup tie, leaving it to the two players with whom he has shared the major spoils since the 2012 Olympics.
Of all aspects to his comeback this year, Nadal’s unbeaten performances on hard court have been the most unforeseen, embracing a surface he has sometimes viewed with distrust, at least when it comes to his knees.
Djokovic cannot get enough of it, however, as the hard terrain sees him at his most phenomenally consistent. You have to go back to January 2010 for the last time he did not make a Grand Slam final on concrete.
Yet his self- belief did not quite appear at its usual level from the start and his groundstrokes were broken down in the third game when Nadal converted a second break point to get ahead.
Meanwhile, Spain’s tennis star Rafael Nadal on Monday ruled out an assault on a calendar year Grand Slam, a mission so intimidating that only two men have ever achieved it in the sport’s history.
The 27-year-old Spaniard clinched his second US Open, and his 13th career major, with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Novak Djokovic.
Nadal completed a career Grand Slam in New York in 2010, but winning all four majors in the same year has only been achieved by Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969).
“To win all four Grand Slams in one year I think today is impossible for anyone. That’s my feeling,” said Nadal, who now has eight French Opens, two Wimbledon, two US Open and an Australian title amongst his 60 career crowns.
“Today the best players are there all the time, so to win a tournament like this you have to win against Roger (Federer), against David (Ferrer), against Andy (Murray), against Novak.
“These players are not losing in the early rounds, so that makes it impossible be 100 percent in every tournament. So when your level is a little bit lower, you will lose against these players 100 percent.”
Monday’s win capped a memorable year for Nadal, whose season only started in February after a seven-month injury lay-off, an absence which saw him miss the 2012 US Open as well as the London Olympics and the Australian Open this year.
But he now has 10 titles since his comeback, a 60-3 match record and has won all 22 matches he has played on hard courts.
That run saw him also win a record eighth French Open and five ATP Masters titles. — Mailonline.
Online Reporter