NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic got his wish. Rafael Nadal got an even bigger one.
Nadal won the rain-delayed US Open men’s singles title Monday night, beating Djokovic 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2. It was Nadal’s third consecutive major title and ninth overall as he became the seventh man in history to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in their career.
After outlasting Roger Federer in five grueling sets in Saturday’s semifinals, Djokovic said he hoped it would rain so that the match would be delayed and his body would have time to recuperate. It did rain – washing out play on Sunday, then interrupting Monday’s battle for nearly two hours during the second set.
But the rain only delayed the reign of Spain’s top-seeded player.
Nadal was just too good for Djokovic on this day, perhaps too good for anybody on this day. His powerful ground strokes dipped and kissed the court just inside the lines, seemingly finding all corners with laser precision.
Everything worked for the Spaniard – his backhand, his forehand, his volleys, his serve. Her had eight aces to just five for Djokovic.
Known for his baseline game, Nadal won 80 percent of the points when he ventured to the net.
Djokovic could find no openings, no weak spots, nothing to attack successfully and consistently. And when his game began deteriorating in the fourth set and he lost his serve, it was apparent the match was over.
It was a resigned Djokovic who played until the score said stop. After fighting gallantly through the first three sets, the spark was visibly gone from the Serb.
While Nadal now holds a 15-7 lead over Djokovic in head-to-head meetings, the Serb has never beating the Spaniard in a Grand Slam tournament or in a final.
With his victory, Nadal becomes the first left-hander to win America’s premier event since John McEnroe in 1984 and the third Spaniard – Manuel Orantes in 1965 and Manuel Orantes 10 years later.
Djokovic’s best moments came after the second-set rain delay. He handed Nadal his first loss of a set in the tournament. Then, in the third set while down a break, Djokovic fought off three break points in the fifth game and five more in the seventh. It was a performance that brought the crowd to its feet in appreciation.
Even in defeat, Djokovic will move up in the rankings to number two in the world, behind Nadal and replacing Federer.
Besides Nadal, the other men who have won all four Grand Slam tournament titles in their career include Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi and Federer. Only Budge and Laver won all four in a calendar year, and Laver did it twice, in 1962 and 1969.
The women’s doubles title was also decided Monday. American Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan defeated American Liezel Huber and Russia’s Nadia Petrova 2-6 6-4 7-6 (4).
King and Shvedova trailed in the third set 4-5 0-15 when play was halted by rain on Sunday. But on Monday, King, serving the 10th game, saved match point with a forehand winner down the line to send it to a tie-break.
“I don’t feel like we’ve won because today was such a short day,” Shvedova said about spending 20 minutes on court on Monday.