Nadal wears the elusive crown

Rafael Nadal completed a career Grand Slam title sweep on Monday by capturing his first US Open crown.


Afp September 15, 2010

NEW YORK:


World number one Rafael Nadal was crowned the 2010 US Open Champion as he defeated second-seed Serbian Novak Djokovic to win a title that had eluded the Spaniard thus far.

Nadal, who had won eight Grand Slams, had never been able to rule the hard-courts at the Flushing Meadows but the top-seed proved his standings by defeating Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in a fiercely-competitive match.

The 24-year-old left-hander overwhelmed Djokovic with uncanny shot-making to win the $1.7-million prize as well as his third consecutive Grand Slam crown and his ninth Grand Slam title overall.

Nadal became only the seventh man to complete a career Grand Slam sweep, joining Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry in having won Wimbledon and the US, French and Australian Open titles.

Nadal broke in the opening game of the match more effortlessly than usual, but Djokovic broke back to level at 2-2. Another break for the world number one in the fifth game was enough to win him the first set. Djokovic led 4-1 in the second set, but Nadal dug in to claw his way back to 4-4 before rain stopped play.

On resumption, the Serb held and then broke Nadal for the second time in the match in the 12th game to level the set scores. Nadal broke again in the sixth game of the third set to move ahead again, and when he ran off three games in a row to lead 3-1 in the fourth, he was on his way to victory.

“That’s more than what I dreamt,” said Nadal. “Just to be in this final was amazing.”

Showers pushed the final to Monday for the third year in a row and halted the match for one hour and 48 minutes, but rain only delayed Nadal’s reign on the hardcourts at  Flushing Meadows despite losing his lone set of the fortnight.

“To have the trophy right here in my hands in a few seconds is going to be unbelievable,” said Nadal at the on-court award ceremony. Seconds later, he hoisted the trophy above his head and smiled as he pulled it down to bite it, his signature trophy hoisting move.

“Right now he’s the best player in the world and he absolutely deserves this title,” said Djokovic, who did not make it any easier for the world’s best player to snatch the trophy that has had a way of escaping him far too often.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2010.

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