Hard to believe this is the same
Rafael Nadal who was home during the US
Open a year ago, nursing a bad left knee.
Hard to believe this is the guy sent packing in
the first round of Wimbledon in June, losing
against someone ranked 135th.
Looking fit as can be and maybe even better
than ever, the No. 2-ranked Nadal pulled away
from No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
on Monday in a taut, tense US Open final for
his 13th Grand Slam title.
"This is probably the most emotional one in
my career," Nadal said. "I know I had to be
almost perfect to win."
They started in sunlight and finished at night, a
3-hour, 21-minute miniseries of cliffhangers
and plot twists and a pair of protagonists who
inspired standing ovations in the middle of
games.
"Probably nobody brings my game to the limit
like Novak," said Nadal, who collected $3.6
million in prize money, including a $1 million
bonus for results during the North American
hard-court circuit.
There was no quit in either of them, during
points that lasted 15, 25, even more than 50
strokes. Those rallies went so long, rarely over
when they appeared to be, and spectators
often shouted out during the course of play,
prompting Nadal to complain to the chair
umpire.
This was their 37th match against each other,
the most between any two men in the Open
era, and Nadal has won 22. It also was their
third head-to-head US Open final in the last
four years. Nadal beat Djokovic for the 2010
title, and Djokovic won their rematch in 2011.
They know each other's games so well, and
play such similar hustle-to-every-ball styles,
but in the end, it was Nadal who was superior.
"He was too good. He definitely deserved to
win this match today and this trophy," Djokovic
said. "Obviously disappointing to lose a match
like this."
Nadal improved to 22-0 on hard courts and
60-3 overall in 2013 with 10 titles, including at
the French Open, which made him the first
man with at least one Grand Slam trophy in
nine consecutive seasons. The 27-year-old
Spaniard's total of 13 major championships
ranks third in the history of men's tennis,
behind only Roger Federer's 17 and Pete
Sampras' 14.
Nadal has won a record eight titles at the
French Open, two each at the US Open and
Wimbledon, and one at the Australian Open.
"Thirteen Grand Slams for a guy who is 27
years old is incredible," said Djokovic, who
owns six himself. "Whatever he achieved so far
in his career, everybody should respect, no
question about it."
Nadal no longer wears the strips of white tape
he once did to bolster his left knee, and the
way he covered the court against Djokovic --
switching from defense to offense in a blink --
proved that while he says he still feels pain in
that leg, he definitely does not have problems
moving around.
He was off the tour for about seven months,
missing the London Olympics and US Open last
year, and the Australian Open this year.
"The hardest part is the pain, always," Toni
Nadal, Rafael's uncle and coach, told The
Associated Press. "You have pain, and you play.
But the problem is you never know if you can
run so fast, like before, or if you can play
against the best players. From one day to (the
next), it's difficult, always."
Nadal sure has managed to hide it well. He
improved to 8-3 against Djokovic in Grand
Slam matches, including a thriller of a
semifinal at the French Open, which Nadal won
9-7 in the fifth set after trailing.
These two also played the longest Grand Slam
final in history, a nearly six-hour struggle that
left both needing to sit in chairs during the
ceremony after Djokovic's victory at the 2012
Australian Open.
This time, when it ended with a forehand into
the net by Djokovic, Nadal dropped to his back
on the court, saluted by an Arthur Ashe
Stadium crowd that included the Queen of
Spain.
Nadal was relentless from shot to shot, yes,
and from point to point, too, but what might
have been most impressive was the way he
stayed steady when Djokovic recovered from a
rough start and began asserting himself.
At the outset, Djokovic was his own worst
enemy on many points, a touch or two off the
mark. Nadal claimed 12 of the last 14 points in
the first set, with Djokovic looking almost
bored.
The world saw this sort of listless, lackluster
Djokovic two months ago in the final at
Wimbledon, where Nadal had exited a Grand
Slam tournament in the opening round for the
only time in his career. That time, Djokovic
went through a difficult semifinal -- at 4:43,
the longest in Wimbledon history -- and barely
put up much resistance in a straight-set loss to
Andy Murray two days later.
In New York, Djokovic was coming off another
four-hour semifinal victory, and the key stat in
the first set Monday was that he made 14
unforced errors, 10 more than Nadal.
There were no surprising or innovative tactics
from Nadal. In the simplest of terms, he
reached nearly every ball Djokovic delivered,
and Nadal's replies nearly never missed the
intended spot, accented by his huge uppercut
of a swing and loud grunts of "Aaaah!" By
match's end, Djokovic had made 53 unforced
errors, Nadal only 20.
"Credit to my opponent. He was making me
run," said Djokovic, who won the Australian
Open in January and will remain No. 1 in the
rankings despite Monday's loss. "I had my ups
and downs."
The Serb's biggest ups came in the second set.
Nadal was broken a grand total of once
through his first six matches in the
tournament -- a string that reached 88 games
by early in the final's second set. But with
Djokovic raising his level, and gaining control
of more of the many extended exchanges, he
broke Nadal three times in a row.
"When Novak plays (at) that level," Nadal said,
"I'm not sure if (anybody can) stop him."
The first came for a 4-2 lead in the second set,
thanks to the crescendo of the longest point of
these two weeks, which ended when Nadal's
backhand found the net on the 55th stroke.
Djokovic used superb defense to elongate the
point, tossing his body around to bail himself
out repeatedly by blunting Nadal's violent
strokes. When the memorable point ended,
Djokovic bellowed and raised both arms, and
thousands of fans rose to their feet, chanting
his nickname, "No-le! No-le!"
Now Djokovic was energized, and Nadal was
suddenly in a tad of trouble.
"Djokovic was so good in the second set and
the third. But Rafael was always there, there,
there. And in the end, he won," Toni Nadal
said. "He was so strong in his mind. That was
the difference."
The final momentum shift came with Nadal
serving at 4-all in the third set. Djokovic
earned three break points, thanks in part to a
tremendous lob-volley and another point
when Nadal slipped and tumbled to his
backside.
But a quick forehand winner by Nadal, a
forehand into the net by Djokovic on a 22-
stroke point, and a 125 mph ace -- Nadal's only
one of the evening, it drew shouts of "Vamos!"
from Uncle Toni -- helped avoid another
break.
"I didn't do anything I felt (was) wrong in these
few points," Djokovic said. "He didn't make a
mistake."
In the very next game, Nadal broke Djokovic's
serve and, apparently, his will. When that set
ended with Djokovic pushing a forehand long
on a 19-shot point, Nadal screamed as he knelt
down at the baseline, his racket on the court
and his left fist pumping over and over and
over.
"A really important set," Nadal called it later,
"and a really special one."
Djokovic made one last serious stand, holding
break points in the fourth set's first game, but
Nadal saved those, then immediately broke to
go ahead 2-0.
Once again, Nadal withstood Djokovic's best
and was on his way to another Grand Slam
celebration.
"It's what we do when we play against each
other, always pushing each other to the limit,"
Djokovic said. "That's the beauty of our rivary"

What one word can you use to describe this Guy..I say "phenomenum"

Incredible NADAL... Up MADRIstas