Nadal Wins 13th Grand Slam Title With U.S. Open Finals Win Over Djokovic
A year ago, Rafael Nadal was resting at home with a knee injury and didn’t compete in the U.S. Open. One year later, he is the 2013 U.S. Open champion.
In front of packed house of over 25,000 fans, the second-ranked Nadal defeated world number one Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Monday night to win his 13th Grand Slam title.
The three-hour and 21-minute, four-set final saw each player bring out the best in each other. The first three sets in particular were played at an extraordinary high level. In the first set, one rally took 55 strokes, 20 more than any other rally in the entire tournament. On the 55th shot, Nadal sent a backhand into the net which sent the crowd to its feet with applause.
“It’s the U.S. Open final and a Grand Slam final. At the end of the day, I have to be satisfied with the final, even though I would have loved to win this match tonight,” said Djokovic. “It was obvious that in the important moments, he played better tennis, and that’s why he deserved to win. I congratulate him, and I move on.”
Earlier this year, Nadal and Djokovic played a six-hour marathon match in the Australian Open final, which saw Djokovic come out on top. In this final, Nadal got to raise his arms and fall to the ground in celebration. ‘
”Nobody brings my game to the limit like Novak does,” said Nadal.
Djokovic replied, ”It’s what we do when we play against each other, always pushing each other to the limit. ‘That’s the beauty of our matches and our rivalry, I guess, in the end.”
This was their 37th match against each other, the most between any two men in the Open era, and Nadal has now won 22 of those contests. It was also their third head-to-head U.S. Open final in the last four years. Nadal beat Djokovic for the 2010 title, and Djokovic won their rematch in 2011.
“It’s a physical match, and we both knew coming into this final that we are going to have to be fresh and ready to play long rallies,” said Djokovic. “On the other hand, it’s the finals of a Grand Slam, so I think just that fact alone tells you enough of how mental this match is. At the end of the day, you know it’s a huge challenge, but also motivation for both me and him.”
The turning point was at the end of the third set when Nadal broke Djokovic at 5-4 to take the third set and he then used that momentum to finish things off in the fourth.
”He was too good. He definitely deserved to win this match today and this trophy,” Djokovic said. ”It’s obviously disappointing to lose a match like this.”
Nadal improved to 22-0 on hard courts and 60-3 overall in 2013 with nine titles, including at the French Open, which made him the first man with at least one Grand Slam trophy in nine consecutive seasons. The 27-year-old Spaniard’s total of 13 major championships ranks third in the history of men’s tennis, behind only Roger Federer’s 17 and Pete Sampras’ 14.
“You play one match against one of the best players of the history like Novak, number one in the world, on what is probably his favorite surface, and I have to be almost perfect to win,” said Nadal. “It means a lot for me to have this trophy with me today. I just want to thank everybody very much who has helped me to make that possible. It is a really special moment for me. Many thanks to everybody … all the fans and all my team.”
Credit all photos to Adam Wolfthal
Rafael Nadal serves during his 2013 U.S. Open finals match against Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic speaks to CBS in his post-match, on-court interview
2013 U.S. Open runner up Novak Djokovic and winner Rafael Nadal pause for a post-match photo
Novak Djokovic with a backand Monday night under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium
