Nadal crowns his ‘most emotional season’ ever
Spaniard beats Djokovic to win second US Open, 13th grand slam title.
Since returning from injury, Nadal has a win-loss record of 60-3 that includes titles at the Masters Series events at Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, Montreal and Cincinnati as well as the French and US Open Grand Slams. PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK:
Engulfed in a mixture of relief and utter joy, Rafael Nadal fell on his back and covered his face with his hands after beating Novak Djokovic in four sets to win the US Open, the 13th grand slam title of his career.
A year ago, Nadal was sat at home watching on television as Andy Murray defeated Djokovic, dealing with the knee injuries which had raised questions over his longevity in the sport.
But after returning to the game from a seven-month absence, Nadal’s remarkable year has included two grand slam wins as he marches his way towards the number one ranking again.
“For a few things this season is probably the most emotional one in my career,” Nadal told reporters after his 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
“I felt that I did everything right to have my chance here. You play a match against one of the best players of the history like this, Novak, number one in the world, probably on his favourite surface, as I said the other day, I would have to be almost perfect to win.
“It means a lot for me have this trophy. It is just amazing.”
Despite his injury woes, Nadal said he never feared he might not be able to play again.
“I am a positive guy, so I never thought about that.”
But he acknowledged that the emotions he showed on court did indeed relate back to his injuries and to the difficult days in the gym, when he had to endure the daily grind of rehab work, sometimes with no signs of immediate progress.
“What really produced for me these emotional moments was working hard in tough moments, trying to be positive. A lot of people were with me during this period of time and they were not easy moments. A lot of days I was able to keep working because of them.
“When you go to the gym every day and you don’t see a positive result, then you lose a little bit your energy. Having those people around me during this period of time was decisive.
“They kept me working hard, they give me that positive energy. Without them it would be impossible for me to have the chance to be here.”
I might lose number one spot to Nadal: Djokovic
Djokovic believes Nadal may soon displace him as world number one and has plenty of time to break Roger Federer’s benchmark 17 major titles.
The Spaniard claimed the 13th singles slam of his career to move ahead of Australia’s Roy Emerson (12) on the all-time list.
Only Pete Sampras (14) and Federer (17) are above the 27-year-old Nadal on the pecking order of major champions. Djokovic has six grand slams.
“Thirteen grand slams for a guy who is 27-years-old is incredible,” said Djokovic. “I mean, whatever he has achieved so far in his career is something that everybody should respect. No question about it.
“I was saying before, he’s definitely one of the best tennis players ever to play the game. Looking at his achievements and his age, at this moment — he still has a lot of years to play. That’s all I can say.
“He won so much this year. I’m still number one of the world in the rankings. But year to year he’s far, far ahead. He has much more chances to end up as number one.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2013.
Engulfed in a mixture of relief and utter joy, Rafael Nadal fell on his back and covered his face with his hands after beating Novak Djokovic in four sets to win the US Open, the 13th grand slam title of his career.
A year ago, Nadal was sat at home watching on television as Andy Murray defeated Djokovic, dealing with the knee injuries which had raised questions over his longevity in the sport.
But after returning to the game from a seven-month absence, Nadal’s remarkable year has included two grand slam wins as he marches his way towards the number one ranking again.
“For a few things this season is probably the most emotional one in my career,” Nadal told reporters after his 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
“I felt that I did everything right to have my chance here. You play a match against one of the best players of the history like this, Novak, number one in the world, probably on his favourite surface, as I said the other day, I would have to be almost perfect to win.
“It means a lot for me have this trophy. It is just amazing.”
Despite his injury woes, Nadal said he never feared he might not be able to play again.
“I am a positive guy, so I never thought about that.”
But he acknowledged that the emotions he showed on court did indeed relate back to his injuries and to the difficult days in the gym, when he had to endure the daily grind of rehab work, sometimes with no signs of immediate progress.
“What really produced for me these emotional moments was working hard in tough moments, trying to be positive. A lot of people were with me during this period of time and they were not easy moments. A lot of days I was able to keep working because of them.
“When you go to the gym every day and you don’t see a positive result, then you lose a little bit your energy. Having those people around me during this period of time was decisive.
“They kept me working hard, they give me that positive energy. Without them it would be impossible for me to have the chance to be here.”
I might lose number one spot to Nadal: Djokovic
Djokovic believes Nadal may soon displace him as world number one and has plenty of time to break Roger Federer’s benchmark 17 major titles.
The Spaniard claimed the 13th singles slam of his career to move ahead of Australia’s Roy Emerson (12) on the all-time list.
Only Pete Sampras (14) and Federer (17) are above the 27-year-old Nadal on the pecking order of major champions. Djokovic has six grand slams.
“Thirteen grand slams for a guy who is 27-years-old is incredible,” said Djokovic. “I mean, whatever he has achieved so far in his career is something that everybody should respect. No question about it.
“I was saying before, he’s definitely one of the best tennis players ever to play the game. Looking at his achievements and his age, at this moment — he still has a lot of years to play. That’s all I can say.
“He won so much this year. I’m still number one of the world in the rankings. But year to year he’s far, far ahead. He has much more chances to end up as number one.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2013.