New York, Sept. 14: By winning the US Open for the first time and completing his collection of grand slam titles, Rafa Nadal solved one riddle and posed another.
His 6-4, 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory over Novak Djokovic in Monday’s rain-interrupted final at Flushing Meadows ensured the Spaniard joined the pantheon of tennis greats and resolved beyond any reasonable doubt just who is the best player in the world today.
But the argument over who is the greatest of all time has once again been sparked and could rage for years.
Nadal is adamant Roger Federer deserves the accolade because of his 16 grand slam titles but the jury is still out after the Spaniard conquered New York.
Nadal has nine grand slam titles and is five years younger than Federer. He has been racking them up at a faster rate than his Swiss rival and has mastered every surface. He is not walking the road to immortality so much as sprinting along it.
“For me, it’s a dream to have the career grand slam,” Nadal said.
“It is an unbelievable feeling because I worked all my life in difficult moments to be here.”
With eight grand slams before the tournament began, the lefthanded Nadal was already one of the game’s elite, but his win on Monday elevated him to a whole new level.
He overcame the distraction of a two-hour relay delay and losing his first set of the tournament to defeat Djokovic after three hours and 43 minutes of unrelenting tension at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic, who had beaten Federer in an exhausting five-set semi-final on Saturday, expelled any doubts about his fighting qualities with a fearless performance, fending off an astonishing 20 break points during the course of the match, but the pressure eventually wore him down.
“I cannot hide the disappointment. I’m not gonna cry or complain about that. It’s just the way it is,” Djokovic said.
“I wanted that trophy, and I know I gave my maximum to get it even tonight, but tomorrow I will wake up as a new man.”
After losing the second set on a sloppy service game, Nadal ran away with the last two — clinching the victory when Djokovic hit a forehand wide — and collapsed on court as the enormity of his achievement sank in.
He embraced Djokovic at the net then dropped to his knees again as the centre court crowd rose as one to applaud him. When he was handed the trophy, he raised it above his head and thousands of flashbulbs lit up a perfect night.