When Rafael Nadal found a way Sunday to will himself past Daniil Medvedev for the U.S. Open championship, he raised next year’s stakes in men’s tennis beyond anything the sport has known.
Once again, Nadal left viewers breathless at the sight of his stunning athleticism and competitive desire. Not even Houdini lived so often so close to the edge as Nadal does in his most classic matches.
First, for those who missed Sunday’s finals, here’s the impossible-to-believe summary: Nadal, looking far the better player, built a 7-5, 6-3 advantage and led by a break, 3-2, in the third set, with the announcers all but awarding him the trophy. From nowhere, Medvedev found his stride — and what a stride it was! He outlasted Nadal on long points, outfoxed him with drop shots, showed an amazingly deft net game and, most amazingly, found a willpower seemingly matching Nadal’s own. He broke serve to even the set, then in the 12th game hit an impossible-to-believe backhand winner into the corner for another break, and the set.
Looking like the game’s next big star, Medvedev took the fourth set, too, and in Nadal’s first serve (at 0-1) in the fifth set, Medvedev appeared ready for the kill. Yet, with the crowd rocking, Nadal fought back from down 15-40 to hold. In game five of the set, Medvedev was coasting 40-0 when he hit just one sloppy forehand long. With new life, Nadal won five of the next six points as well to break serve. Later, up 4-2 in games, Nadal broke yet again, and served for the match at 5-2.
Again, Medvedev dug deep. The Russian broke back, then held serve, and then, stunningly, reached break point yet again, one point away from tying the decisive set 5-5.
But Nadal wouldn’t let him. The Spaniard hit a big forehand to save the game, then out of nowhere hit an unreturnable drop shot. Finally, with a big serve that a lunging Medvedev returned long, Nadal won it all, after 4 hours and 51 minutes of passion – 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.
As in so many men’s major finals these days, this match was gobsmackingly memorable. What made it as historically important as it was memorable was how it sets up 2020 as the year in which Nadal, and perhaps Novak Djokovic, finally can reel in Roger Federer on the list of all-time major singles titles.
This possibility was set up by the epic Wimbledon final earlier this summer in which Federer owned a double-match point in the fifth set, only for Djokovic to come back for a 13-12 victory. Had Federer won, his record for majors would then safely have stood three ahead of Nadal and six ahead of Djokovic. Instead, with the Serbian winning Wimbledon and Nadal winning in New York, the title chase now stands at Federer 20, Nadal 19, and Djokovic 16. Nadal could catch the Swiss legend with a win in Australia or, more likely, France. Djokovic could catch Federer with a single-year Grand Slam – not out of the question, as Djokovic once before won all four titles consecutively (but not in the same year) and as he, at age 32, is younger than Rafa at 33 and Federer at 38.
The achievement of these three is so far beyond all prior men’s tennis maestros, and their level of play so elevated, that anyone who fails to watch is missing one of the greatest dramas in any sport’s history. To have three such champions in simultaneous competition, and with such high historic stakes, is a wonder to behold. Enjoy it while you can.
