Tennis Update: Nadal Wins US Open to Complete Career Grand Slam
The King of Clay Rafael Nadal is fast becoming the King of tennis as he disposes off spirited Novak Djokovic in a four set thriller to lift the US Open tennis championship and become the seventh player in tennis history to complete a grand slam of titles.
The grand slam means winning all four grand slam tournaments at least once and through out the history of the game some of the greats have failed to achieve what Nadal has in such an early stage of an outstanding career.
The 24 year old becomes the third youngest to win all four titles, which is an indication of his capabilities and determination.
The US Open title was the ninth grand slam for the Spaniard and what is remarkable is that barely two years ago he was considered a clay specialist as he reeled of one French Open title after another.
It all changed when he got the better of Roger Federer in a gruelling Wimbledon final in 2008, a match that is regarded as one of the greatest finals to have been staged at the All England tennis club.
Over on Monday he went past Djokovic in four sets, two days after the Serb had gotten past the King of tennis Roger Federer in an epic five setter.
The final was to be staged on Sunday but was put off for a day after heavy rain made it impossible to play; even on Monday the two players had to overcome the distraction of a two-hour relay delay.
The constant rain went in Djokovic’s favour at the start of the final as it gave him time to regain his energy after the gruelling semi-final.
The Serb who has remained luckless at grand slams since winning the 2008 Australian Open started brightly yet lost the first set 4-6, he bounced back superbly taking the next set 7-5, which was the only set to have been dropped by Nadal in the tournament.
However, Nadal was not to be denied his big moment as he won the next three sets scoring a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 win after three hours and 43 minutes of unrelenting tension at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Spaniard was overjoyed with his performance and hugged Djokovic before sinking to his knees as emotions over took him upon realisation of his special achievement at such a young age.
In recent times, only Andre Agassi and Federer have succeeded in winning all four grand slam titles, even the incredible Pete Sampras who held the record for most grand slam wins failed to win the French Open title.
Many others including the likes of Boris Becker, Ivan Lendle, Pat Cash, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Pat Rafter failed to win all four slams despite coming close on many occasions.
Nadal next target is overhauling Federer’s record of grand slam titles, and time is on his side.
On the other hand, Djokovic has once again failed to capture a grand slam after coming agonisingly close the Serb won the Australian Open in 2008 and promised much more at the time, yet luck has eluded him at crucial moments of major tournaments in the last two years.
He has made regular appearances in semis and finals, yet has failed to capture the moment and once again, he was a frustrated man at the Arthur Ashe stadium in the heart of New York.
He would be hoping for better results next year and promised to work harder on his game in a desperate bid to improve on his poor grand slam record, as he surely has the talent to go the distance. Let us see if 2011 is his year.
Tags: