Rafael Nadal of Spain has established that 2013 is his comeback year with his US Open win on Monday against World #1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Nadal dominated the five-set match at 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The prize money for the Flushing Meadows men’s tennis champion this year is $2.6 million. He received an additional $1 million for being at the very top of the US Open standings.
This was Nadal’s second US Open men’s singles title and his 13th Grand Slam title. Nadal also won the French Open trophy earlier this year. The 3-hour, 21-minute championship match was witnessed by Queen Sofia of Spain.
Triumphant return
Arthur Ashe Stadium erupted in cheers as Nadal fell to the ground upon seeing Novak’s failed forehand return hit the net. He was later seen prone on the court sobbing, perhaps in both joy and relief on his winning serve at 5-1 in the defining set of the match. Nadal has had a tough time in the past year with his knee injury but he has once again shown that he can still rule the hard court. This is his 22nd win on the surface. Last year, Nadal was unable to play at Flushing Meadows due to injury to his left knee. He missed the 2012 Olympics and was unable to compete in several tournaments. But he showed how well he could move in the court and how smart his game could be in this match.
Nadal is now just a few notches below Roger Federer (Switzerland) who holds the current record with a total of 17 Grand Slam titles. Peter Sampras (USA) at second place has 14 titles, and Nadal is now third in the all-time list with 13 Grand Slam titles to his name.
Face off
The US Open Championship is the 37th confrontation between the two top tennis players in the world today, according to ATP rankings. The 27-year old Spaniard won three of the four sets of the match. Djokovic managed to win only the second set. Nadal has won 22 of the 37 face-offs against Djokovic.
Last year, Djokovic also made it to the US Open final, but he lost the title to the top British tennis player, Andy Murray. This year, 26-year old Novak Djokovic had to settle for second place after Nadal’s intense showing.
Mutual respect
Rafa expressed his high regard for his opponent, and said that Novak brings his game to the next level. During the trophy ceremony, he also said that playing against the current world number one tennis player “is a very special feeling.” He added that only his team knows how much the win meant to him. Nadal was clearly very emotional during the ceremony.
In the post-match interview, Novak said that he was disappointed in losing but he considers it an “honor and privilege” to be a contender for the US Open title. Of his opponent, he said that Rafa deserved to win because “he was too good.” Nadal indeed showed how relentless he could be and he was rewarded with the ultimate prize.
Photo Credit: Rafael Nadal
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