I recently found some entries from a tennis blog I used to keep. I wrote a blog post after Rafa Nadal won his first US Open title in 2010. I thought it would be fun to reminisce…
The Spanish tennis phenomenon Rafael Nadal, world number 1, won the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, after defeating Serbian Novak Djokovic in the final (seeded No. 3) 6-4 , 5 -7, 6-4, 6-2.
The US Open trophy was the only Grand Slam missing from Nada’s resume. The Spaniard cried with joy at the end of the match, while the defeated Novak Djokovic gave in to frustration during the game, smashing a racquet.
Scheduled for Sunday, September 12, 2010, the game was postponed until Monday because of weather conditions. Moreover, in the second set when the score was 4-4 (30-30), the match was suspended because a storm fell on Arthur Ashe stadium in New York.
The first set was won by Nadal after 50 minutes, which showed it was going to be a very balanced final (score 6-4).
In the second set, the Serb was saved by the unexpected break. Even though he led 4-1, the Spaniard bounced back and the rain stopped the game with the score even at 4-4. After the break, Djokovic seemed more motivated, clinching the second act, 5-7.
Although he recovered five break points in the third set, Djokovic finally relented, 6-4 to Nadal.
The last part of the meeting found the Serbian on a downward slope, the accumulated fatigue during the tournament possibly catching up to him.
After three hours and 42 minutes, Rafael Nadal won the coveted trophy. He previously won eight Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open (1), Roland Garros (5), and Wimbledon (2).
The winner will be awarded a check for $ 1.7 million, while in the loser would “only” receive $850,000.
Novak Djokovic, however, has reason to celebrate as well. The presence in the US Open final helped him move into second position in the ATP rankings, overtaking Roger Federer.
Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 favorite of the tournament, made his first final appearance in the US Open. He qualified for the last act of the tournament after beating Russian Mikhail Youzhny (6-2, 6-3, 6-4).
On the other side, Novak Djokovic (3) played in his second final, losing to Roger Federer first (2), in 2007. The Serb took his revenge this year, eliminating the Swiss in the semifinals, after four hours of play and five sets (5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5).
At the same time, the 2010 final is the first in the last seven years not to have the protagonist Roger Federer, who has won five US Open title.
Ah, man, how times have changed. We’re all now curious if Novak Djokovic, at 12 grand slam titles currently, can continue his dominance, and eventually equal Roger Federer’s 17 Grand Slam titles. I find this graphic really interesting:
Men’s Grand Slam Titles by Age