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US Open 2010, Flushing Meadows, NY, USA
September 13, 2010
Editorial by Jane Voigt.
Jane Voigt |
Nadal Wins Career Grand Slam & Ninth Major
September 13, 2010 -- Rafael Nadal joined an elite group of upper-echelon tennis champions tonight that have each won all four major tournament titles. He reached this pinnacle of sports' history when he defeated Novak Djokovic during the U. S. Open Men's Singles Championship this evening on Arthur Ashe Stadium court, the biggest tennis venue in the world. Nadal is only the seventh player in history ever to accomplish this honor.
This is also Nadal's ninth major title of his career.
It was Nadal's first U. S. Open final and the one missing from his pristine portfolio. He becomes the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the U. S. Open, consecutively.
He is also the third youngest male to win all four majors. The six men that will keep the 24-year-old Nadal in good stead are Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Fred Perry, and Don Budge. Only Rod Laver and Don Budge have won a true Grand Slam, which is capturing all four major titles in a calendar year: The Australian Open, The French Open, The Wimbledon Championships, and The U. S. Open.
The final match, which was supposed to have been played yesterday, was marred once again by a rain delay today. The players left Ashe stadium with the score at 6/4 4/4 and 30/30, Nadal up one set. Coverage from CBS stopped at 6 PM, with the rain. At 7:30 PM ESPN2 began its turn as broadcaster. If the match had extended beyond 10:15 PM, ESPNClassic would have taken charge.
With rain, switching networks, and NFL football many viewers may have missed Nadal make history. This is the third year in a row the men's final has been moved to Monday due to foul weather.
After the delay, Djokovic took charge winning eight points in a row at one point. Nadal served to try to extend the second set to a tiebreak, but Djokovic broke and closed out the set 75. It was the only set he won.
The match was highlighted with at least six rallies that exceeded twenty strokes. They ripped groundstrokes, dragged each other from deuce to ad courts and back again, smacking stinging shots that lifted them off their feet. Djokovic looked, at times, as if he'd pass out, only to step up to the baseline with determination written across his face.
Djokovic hit razor-sharp returns of serve, lethal cross-court and down-the-line backhands, and covered the court completely with speedy footwork. Djokovic is known for how well he can change the direction of the ball. He used his entire arsenal tonight, in his attempt to win his first U. S. Open title in two attempts, the first was in 2007 when he lost to Roger Federer.
Nadal closed the match in four sets 65 57 64 62 and collapsed on the court.
Nadal and Djokovic were gracious in their comments, during the awards ceremony. Nadal congratulated his opponent, assuring him he would win the trophy one day.
"You have a great attitude and a great attitude for the kids," Nadal said to all present.
He was presented with a check of $1.7 million from Lucy Garbin, president of USTA.
Nadal entered the final without having dropped a set in six previous rounds. His serve had been broken twice. Fifty years have passed since a player reached the final without having lost a set along the way.
Many thought that Nadal would defeat the Serbian in straight sets because of the long battle between Novak and Federer in the semifinal Saturday. But with an extra day off for rest and recovery, Djokovic came out ready for battle.
The ATP U. S. Open final preview noted that Djokovic had only spent about 90 minutes more on court than Nadal in all matches prior to tonight's final.
Fans erupted many times over the course of the match, as each man went all out to return shots. Nadal's 'new' flatter serve helped him reach a speed of well over 130 MPH. They also put him in a dominant position to win many points.
It's hard to believe that tennis fans worldwide now have two active players -- Rafael Nodal and Roger Federer -- with career grand slams. We have the privilege to witness an exceptionally high caliber of play, something not always available in years past.
[1] Rafael Nadal {black shirt} d [3] Novak Djokovic (SRB) 64 57 64 62
Earlier Coverage from this Event:
September 12, 2010 US Open: Men's Juniors Final - Such Excitement
September 11, 2010 US Open: Super Duper Saturday - Rafael Nadal, Mikhail Youzhny, Roger Federer, Novak Djjokovic, Kim Clijsters, Vera Zvonareva
September 10, 2010 US Open: Zvonareva Shocks Wozniacki, Clijsters Scrapes by Williams - Vera Zvonareva, Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams
September 9, 2010 US Open: Them - Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco, Mikhail Youzhny, Stanislas Wawrinka
September 8, 2010 US Open: Below Par - Novak Djokovic, Gael Monfils, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova, Roger Federer, Robin Soderling, Vera Zvonareva, Kaia Kanepi
September 7, 2010 US Open: A Precious Win - Stanislas Wawrinka, Sam Querrey, Venus Williams, Francesca Schiavone
September 6, 2010 US Open: The Important Stuff - Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish, Robin Soderling, Albert Montanes
September 5, 2010 US Open: Seeing The Light - Rafael Nadal, Gilles Simone, Fernando Verdasco, David Nalbandian, Francesca Schiavone, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
September 4, 2010 US Open: Favorites - Mardy Fish, Arnaud Clement, Maria Sharapova, Beatrice Capra, Jurgen Melzer, Juan Carlos Ferrero
September 3, 2010 US Open: The Virtual U.S. Open - Ryan Harrison, Sergiy Stakhovsky, John Isner, Marco Chiudinelli
September 2, 2010 US Open: Way Below The Radar - Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki, Kai-Chen Chang, Andreas Beck, Robin Soderling, Taylor Dent
September 1, 2010 US Open: The Word - Andy Murray, Lukas Lacko, Venus Williams, Rebecca Marino, Gael Monfils, Igor Andreev
August 31, 2010 US Open: What's Age Got To Do With It? Arnaud Clement, Marcos Baghdatis, Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish, Jan Hajek, Viktor Troicki
August 30, 2010 US Open: And Away We Go - Melanie Oudin, Kim Clijsters, Andy Roddick, Olga Savchuk, Greta Arn, Stephane Robert
August 29, 2010 US Open: Who's In, Who's Out
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