Nadal keeps winning
NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal was not quite ready to contemplate his place in tennis history.
It had been less than two hours since a gripping victory over Novak Djokovic earned Nadal his second U.S. Open championship and 13th Grand Slam title overall.
So when a question came about the likelihood of catching up to the only men who have won more major trophies — Roger Federer has 17, Pete Sampras has 14 — Nadal simply smiled and replied: “Let me enjoy today.”
As it is, the 27-year-old Nadal added, his Grand Slam collection is “much more than what I ever thought ... ever dreamed.”
Still, even Nadal acknowledged there was something special about his latest trophy, achieved by getting the best of the No. 1-ranked Djokovic on the most important of their rollicking points that lasted 15, 25, even more than 50 strokes. Withstanding Djokovic’s similar hustle-to-every-ball style, Nadal eventually pulled away to win their taut final at Flushing Meadows 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday night.
“Means a lot, this one,” Nadal said.
That’s because he watched last year’s U.S. Open on TV from the sofa back home in Spain, sidelined by a left knee injury that forced him off the tour for about seven months.
Nadal knew he’d return to tennis. Less clear was whether he would ever return to an elite level.
Turns out, he might just be better than ever.
And when the last point was done Monday, Nadal fell on his back, then rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in his arms. The tears started flowing.
“It’s normal that I was crying. I came from a not-easy situation, a tough one,” Nadal said. “All the things ... happening to me is a surprise and is the result (of) the tough work after the low moments. So that makes the victories more emotional.”
Earlier in his career, Nadal’s prowess at the French Open and other tournaments played on slow, red clay earned him the moniker King of Clay. His first four major titles came in Paris.
But by tinkering with his game and constantly seeking to improve, he has become a master of every surface. He’s one of seven men with a career Grand Slam: In addition to his record eight French Open championships, he now has two from the U.S. Open’s hard courts, one from the Australian Open’s hard courts, and two from Wimbledon’s grass courts.
By adding two major titles this season, at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows, Nadal became the first man with at least one in nine consecutive years.
Even Federer did not do that.
“I mean, whatever he achieved so far in his career is something that everybody should respect, no question about it,” Djokovic said about Nadal.
“He’s definitely one of the best tennis players ever to play the game, I mean, looking at his achievements and his age, at this moment,” continued Djokovic, a six-time major champion. “He still has a lot of years to play, so that’s all I can say.”
Nadal is 60-3 in 2013 with 10 titles and two runner-up finishes. The only tournament where he didn’t reach the final was Wimbledon, where he lost to 135th-ranked Steve Darcis in the first round.
Rebounding from that shocking setback, Nadal has gone unbeaten since, raising his record on hard courts to 22-0 this year.
