I am so happy! Rafael Nadal won his 4th US Open title and his 19th Grand Slam title overall! Vamos Rafa!
It wasn't straightforward, though. While he didn't have to face either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic in the tournament, he had to battle against Daniil Medvedev, the most in-form player in the American summer who started the US Open ranked #5 and moved up one place to #4 after the tournament. The final went the distance and even if Nadal was up 2 sets to love, by the time the 5th set kicked in, Medvedev looked like he would score the upset. I have to say, this was the first match of Medvedev's I've seen and I'm a a believer. Among the younger players, he's the only one I've seen who has shown the grit and tenacity to become a future champion. He has it in him to become #1 in the world and win many major titles in the future. Given Medvedev's late match resurgence in the final, I'm not sure how Nadal summoned the will to redirect the course of the match. But he did, gutting out a tremendously hard-fought 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 win in 4 hours and 51 minutes, the fifth longest men's Grand Slam final. There was a whole lot of drama and momentum shifts to keep tennis fans entertained - and Nadal and Medvedev fans on edge - but in the end, it was Nadal who found just that little extra to help him take home the title. A montage of Rafa's 19 Grand Slam title wins was shown during the closing ceremony and Nadal became very emotional, weeping openly and showing the world just how important this and all his other wins are to him.
This win means that only three other players in the Open Era - Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer, all of whom won five - have won more US Open singles titles than Rafa (his four wins tie him with John McEnroe). He now also has just one major title less than Roger who has 20. Even as a Rafa fan, I have to admit that I didn't think he would ever come this close to Roger's Grand Slam count. The thing for me though is, even if he doesn't tie or break Roger's total haul (Federer can of course still win more) or if Novak passes them both, I will still be very happy. As Rafa said, "All the things that I achieved in my career are much more than what I ever thought and what I ever dream. I would love to be the one who has more, yes. But I really believe that I will not be happier or less happy if that happens or not happen." And this applies to me as his fan too. :)
The women's final also featured a tennis legend playing against an up-and-coming player who also had success during the summer and was also playing in her first Grand Slam final, Bianca Andreescu. However, the results were different. Andreescu edged out Williams in two tight sets. This marks the first time that someone playing in the main draw of the US Open for the first time won the championship. Bianca also becomes the first Canadian player to win a Grand Slam title. Wow! That she achieved this against one of the greatest players of all time while playing in front of a crowd that was very pro-Williams shows how much guts, self-belief, and mental strength she has. As for Serena, this is the fourth time she reached the final of a Grand Slam only to lose in straight sets. While it must be terribly disappointing for her and her fans, she is still arguably the best player when she's at her best, as evidenced by her 63 61 rout of #5 Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.She's gotten to four Grand Slam finals now and while the last three were not very close, this one was. I reckon she will still tie and break Margaret Court's record before she calls it a career.
Back to Nadal, he ends the year with two of the four Grand Slams, matching Djokovic who also won two. That said, Rafa has had greater success overall and while Novak is still ranked #1, Nadal has won more points this year and is in a good position to challenge for the #1 ranking as the year comes to a close. I'm not sure if that will happen though since I think Nadal will be getting married soon but even if Rafa doesn't get back to #1 this year (or even ever), I will still be a very happy and grateful fan. Congratulations, Rafa!
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2019
It wasn't straightforward, though. While he didn't have to face either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic in the tournament, he had to battle against Daniil Medvedev, the most in-form player in the American summer who started the US Open ranked #5 and moved up one place to #4 after the tournament. The final went the distance and even if Nadal was up 2 sets to love, by the time the 5th set kicked in, Medvedev looked like he would score the upset. I have to say, this was the first match of Medvedev's I've seen and I'm a a believer. Among the younger players, he's the only one I've seen who has shown the grit and tenacity to become a future champion. He has it in him to become #1 in the world and win many major titles in the future. Given Medvedev's late match resurgence in the final, I'm not sure how Nadal summoned the will to redirect the course of the match. But he did, gutting out a tremendously hard-fought 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 win in 4 hours and 51 minutes, the fifth longest men's Grand Slam final. There was a whole lot of drama and momentum shifts to keep tennis fans entertained - and Nadal and Medvedev fans on edge - but in the end, it was Nadal who found just that little extra to help him take home the title. A montage of Rafa's 19 Grand Slam title wins was shown during the closing ceremony and Nadal became very emotional, weeping openly and showing the world just how important this and all his other wins are to him.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2019
This win means that only three other players in the Open Era - Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer, all of whom won five - have won more US Open singles titles than Rafa (his four wins tie him with John McEnroe). He now also has just one major title less than Roger who has 20. Even as a Rafa fan, I have to admit that I didn't think he would ever come this close to Roger's Grand Slam count. The thing for me though is, even if he doesn't tie or break Roger's total haul (Federer can of course still win more) or if Novak passes them both, I will still be very happy. As Rafa said, "All the things that I achieved in my career are much more than what I ever thought and what I ever dream. I would love to be the one who has more, yes. But I really believe that I will not be happier or less happy if that happens or not happen." And this applies to me as his fan too. :)
The women's final also featured a tennis legend playing against an up-and-coming player who also had success during the summer and was also playing in her first Grand Slam final, Bianca Andreescu. However, the results were different. Andreescu edged out Williams in two tight sets. This marks the first time that someone playing in the main draw of the US Open for the first time won the championship. Bianca also becomes the first Canadian player to win a Grand Slam title. Wow! That she achieved this against one of the greatest players of all time while playing in front of a crowd that was very pro-Williams shows how much guts, self-belief, and mental strength she has. As for Serena, this is the fourth time she reached the final of a Grand Slam only to lose in straight sets. While it must be terribly disappointing for her and her fans, she is still arguably the best player when she's at her best, as evidenced by her 63 61 rout of #5 Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.She's gotten to four Grand Slam finals now and while the last three were not very close, this one was. I reckon she will still tie and break Margaret Court's record before she calls it a career.
8-0 👏— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2019
Bianca Andreescu remains undefeated against top 10 players in 2019.#USOpen | #WomenWorthWatching pic.twitter.com/zRlOVGnIqD
Back to Nadal, he ends the year with two of the four Grand Slams, matching Djokovic who also won two. That said, Rafa has had greater success overall and while Novak is still ranked #1, Nadal has won more points this year and is in a good position to challenge for the #1 ranking as the year comes to a close. I'm not sure if that will happen though since I think Nadal will be getting married soon but even if Rafa doesn't get back to #1 this year (or even ever), I will still be a very happy and grateful fan. Congratulations, Rafa!
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