US Open: Vamos, Rafa - Nadal wins 19th Grand Slam title in five sets after drama!
Rafael Nadal won the 2019 US Open. The Spanish world ranking second defeated Daniil Medvedev in five great sets and won his 19th major title. On Roger Federer's record, Nadal is only missing one success at a Grand Slam tournament.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 09, 2019, 03:34 am
By Jens Huiber from New York City
When Rafael Nadal gets irritated, he becomes relentless. If he is stimulated twice, then mercy to all involved. And so it probably only helped the now 19-time Grand Slam champion that referee Ali Nili gave him a warning about time play in the very first service game. The next point of attraction was Daniil Medvedev with the break to 2-1. It should remain the last of the Russian until the middle of the third movement.
Rafael Nadal was crowned champion of New York two years after his last triumph in Flushing Meadows and just over twelve months after he had to retire from injury in the 2018 US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro. Nadal won 7: 5, 6: 3, 5: 7, 4: 6 and 6: 4 in a great match, making Roger Federer close to the top in the all-time leaderboard. Nadal now holds 19 major titles, the Swiss has only recorded one more in his track record. The two fighters had wrestled exactly 4:51 hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Nadal with many variations
The Spaniard's team had apparently considered something before the match, Nadal had given the tactics a little different. Usually, the 33-year-old from Manacor makes his opponents weary with an orgy of punchy topspin balls, but especially in the beginning of the final, Nadal also offered a surprising number of slice variants, scattering shots as a contrast, which in tennis parlance like to Moonballs are characterized. With the addition that the Nadal moon ball would be enough for many professionals as a solid basic stroke.
When he last won in New York, Nadal was also able to grapple with a novice at this stage of the tournament in the final.Kevin Anderson remained as unlikely in 2017 as Daniil Medvedev in the current match. The Russian had started the final with a winning streak of twelve matches, Nadal had won ten matches en suite.
Medvedev tries with stop balls
Medvedev's game idea theoretically does not fit badly with Nadal's, the Russian can play long, flat balls in the Spaniard's forehand. But not often enough to score points on a constant basis. Attempts to stop are a legitimate means against Rafael Nadal, but here too Daniil Medvedev was less successful than Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals.
Nadal knocked vehemently on the server Medvedev in the eighth game of the first set, the Russian fended off the first breakball with a fine serve-free variant, the second with a backhand on the line. Well, Nadal hit 7: 5, the first set took 62 minutes. Nadal won the second act with a break to 4: 2, this passage took 48 minutes.
Brief easing at Nadal - and the compensation
As is so often the case, the Spaniard got stronger and stronger over the course of a match, while his opponent slowly degraded. No wonder: Medvedev had two long tournaments more than his opponent with the starts in Washington, where he had reached the final, and Cincinnati, which he left as the winner. The inevitable break in the third set went to Nadal to 3: 2, Medvedev had no answer to a slice on the backhand. But then had a somewhat surprising two chances to make a comeback, which Nadal defended both with backhand volley. The third option gave Nadal his opponent with a forehand volley and lo and behold: this time the Spaniard's moon ball landed behind the baseline. Compensation.
The outsider suddenly felt like more again, fending off two breakballs at 4: 4 with incredible fighting spirit. Almost casually, Medvedev theoretically served himself in the tiebreaker, which Nadal had not necessarily expected. The Spaniard consequently refused to make a quick decision, preferring to give up his 5: 7 serve. Could Daniil do the Fabio now? Signore Fognini defeated Nadal in Flushing Meadows in 2015 after a 2-2 deficit, a one-off in the Spaniard's tennis vita.
Set four could have started promisingly for Medvedev, but a breakball remained unused. But Nadal also missed opportunities to lead, Medvedev played completely free of fear. Whatever gradually became more popular, the three-time champion Nadal was allowed to build on a solid sympathy surplus from the stands. In the tenth game Nadal led with their own service with 40:15 - and allowed four points in a row, the last, a backhand pass ball by Daniil Medvedev, sealed the equalization.
Not a winner from the 1990s
So the 2019 US Open Champion had to be chosen in a fifth set, Daniil Medvedev had never won one in his career. The Russian could not use three breakballs in the second game, while Nadal received his second time warning. In 2: 2 Medvedev screwed a 40: 0, fended off a breakball with an ace. The left-hander took chance number two with a backhand cross ball. The audience was again very explicit in the Nadal camp, with a strong tendency towards unfairness. Medvedev also lost his serve to 2: 5, a smash landed far out. That’s it? No. Nadal took another warning, knocked the second serve out.
A few moments later: first match point for Nadal, Medvedev fends off with a backhand shot. The second with a risky second serve on the outside. After the point to 4: 5 Daniil Medvedev showed a reaction for the first time, prompting the audience to cheer. Rightly. The Spaniard never missed the second attempt to reserve the match. Even if Medvedev had another breakball available. The third match ball went to Nadal with a forehand stop, the championship after a return error from Daniil Medvedev.
Rafael Nadal ends the 2019 Grand Slam year with two titles (Roland Garros, US Open), a final appearance (Australian Open) and a semi-final in Wimbledon. A total of 19 majors are on the credit side of the Mallorcan, who would like to doubt that number 20 will follow in Paris at the latest? At 33, Nadal became the second oldest champion at the US Open in the professional era. Only Ken Rosewall was two years older when he won in 1970.
Daniil Medvedev, who was listed in the ATP world rankings as of Monday with a career high of four, did not manage to make history: If successful, the Russian would have been the first male Grand Slam champion to be born in the 1990s .