Davis Cup quarterfinals: Spain suffers 1-2 loss against Netherlands as Nadal retires
Although Nadal fought hard against the Dutch in the opening set, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was unable to stop the 29-year-old from winning the first set
Spanish ace Rafael Nadal edged past Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the men’s US Open singles final to clinch the trophy for the 4th time in his illustrious carrier. It was also Nadal’s 19th Grand Slam title.
It took Nadal 4 hours and 49 minutes to outlast Medvedev by 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, ATP Tour reported.
Nadal made his opponent work for every point and overcame the aggressive Russian in one of the most gripping five-set finals in the Grand Slam history.
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Medvedev, 23, rallied from two sets and a break down to force a decider. But, showing his trademark fight, experience and unrelenting resolve, the 33-year-old Nadal fought off his challenger to cross the finish line in a thrilling fashion.
“This victory is so important for me,” an emotional Nadal was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour’s official website. “Especially as the match became more and more difficult. I was able to hold the nerves. They were so high. It was a crazy match and I’m just very emotional.”
With his 19th Grand Slam victory, Nadal closes the gap to just one on Swiss legend Roger Federer (20 Grand Slam) in the all-time title chase. The Spaniard has also moved to three ahead of Novak Djokovic for solo second place on the list.
Nadal has continued his impressive run of form, extending his winning streak to 10 straight matches, and improving to 26-1 in his past five tournaments.
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