Rafael Nadal ecstatic after US Open win
Spanish tennis maestro, Rafael Nadal, sealed his place among tennis greats as he completed the Grand slam of titles beating Novak Djokovic to win the U.S. Open in front of a packed Arthur Ashe stadium in New York.
"I worked a lot all my life, in all difficult moments to be here, but I never imagined have the four Grand Slams", Nadal said afterwards.
On the other hand the distraught Djokovic did not hide his disappointment at his loss especially after he had overcome the greatest player of all time, Roger Federer, in an exhausting five-set semi-final on Saturday.
The Serb star gave it his all in a bid to add to his lone grand slam, the Australian Open he won in 2008, reeling off an astonishing 20 break points during the course of the match, but eventually succumbed to the relentless pressure exerted on him by the reigning World number one.
"That's what's so frustrating, a little bit. He's getting better each time you play him. He's so mentally strong and dedicated to this sport. You know, he has all the capabilities, everything he needs, in order to be the biggest ever, my opinion", said the gracious Djokovic.
"He has proven to the world that he's the best in this moment, so there is no question about it".
Nadal could hardly control his emotions when he had the title captured, as he ran all the way to Djokovic, hugged him, and was delirious when he was handed the trophy.
The 24-year old raised it above his head, as thousands of flashbulbs lit up a perfect New York night.
The Spaniard had already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon singles titles and by adding the U.S. Open he became the seventh man in the history of the game to win all four slams in a calendar year.
The Spaniard had an astonishing year, winning three out of the four grand slams and becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in the same year.
He can touch new heights if he can win the Australian Open in January next year, which would mean that he would have all four titles in the bag concurrently.
His nine grand slam titles include five French, two Wimbledon, and one US, and Australian Open title.
He is now aiming to get past Roger Federer’s tally of 16 grand slams yet conceded it was a herculean task.
"Remain a lot of titles, so that's no doubt about that, no? I think I am more than happy that with my titles, for sure -- I think is talk about if I am better or worse than Roger is stupid, because the titles say he's much better than me, so that's the true at that moment. I think will be the true all my life", Nadal explained.
Nadal was ecstatic to have won the US Open as the last grand slam of the year has always proved to be the trickiest for him, as the surface is demanding on his knees.
"My goal is all the time and all my life was the same, is keep improving and feel myself better player next year than what I felt this year. Being better player doesn't mean you going to win more than you did, because win or lose sometimes is part of the moment and part of the confidence", said the new champion.
The coming few years would be the pinnacle of Nadal’s prowess. He is now set to rule the tennis world as Federer fades away, and, given his talent and commitment, even 20 grand slam titles are not beyond the Spaniard.
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