The final of US OPEN 2019 was yet again a perfect example to depict the kind of champion Rafael Nadal has been over the years. The sheer grit and tenacity of the man was once again on display much to the delight of the capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium as well as Tennis fans across the globe. He had to dig deep and fight valiantly till the very end and his relentless attitude served him well as it has over the course of his illustrious career.
Nadal was up against a formidable and in-form opponent in Daniil Medvedev who stretched Rafa to the limits in the epic five set final that lasted close to 5 hours. Rafa took the first two sets and was well on his way to running away with the match but Medvedev fought back brilliantly to take the match into the fifth set. Medvedev who was booed throughout the tournament by the New York crowd won many a hearts in the final with the kind of skill set he showcased against one of the all time greats the sport has ever seen. Nadal has just lost one match in his entire career after winning the first two sets and was in no mood to let that change. He went on to take the fifth set and with that won the US OPEN 2019 FINAL 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4. The occasion got the better of Nadal as he broke down in tears after the match and admitted that “This has been one of the most emotional nights in my tennis career.”
This win took him within touching distance of Roger Federer’s 20 Grand Slam wins as this was his 19th Grand Slam victory. It has been a remarkable effort by Rafa owing to his debilitating knee pain over the course of his career. He seems to be fitter and hungrier than ever to leave the demons behind and go on to be the greatest of all times. The passion that drives Rafa is so infectious. Merely watching him perform is a fan’s delight and surely this five set triumph just added to his legend.
22 YARDS and beyond..... 