Nadal cemented his status atop the tennis world in a battle of the game’s best, with Nadal ranked No. 1 and Djokokic ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals before the match. Djokovic was actually the third seed behind Nadal and Roger Federer, who he beat in a semifinal thriller on Saturday. With Monday's win, Nadal joins Andre Agassi as the only men’s singles players ever to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold in their careers — a coveted Career Golden Slam.
“He’s absolutely the best player in the world and absolutely deserves this title,” Djokovic said of Nadal.
With the triumph, Nadal won his third straight Grand Slam title in 2010. The last men’s singles player to win three Grand Slam events in a calendar year was Roger Federer, who won the 2007 Australian Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open but lost to Nadal in the French Open final.
At Flushing Meadows, Nadal took control of the match, but Djokovic had his moments, and after winning the second set, he was in good shape. Nadal had 26 break point opportunities, but only converted on six. By contrast, Djokovic broke Nadal three times on four chances.
The biggest of Nadal’s six break point conversions turned the tide for him in the middle of the first set. At 2–2, Djokovic rallied from down 0–40 to draw even, but was eventually broken by Nadal in a hard-fought game, which lasted more than eight minutes and featured five deuces. Djokovic saved five break points, but Nadal came through on his sixth to clinch the game.
Immediately after Nadal’s winning point, Djokovic slammed his racquet into the hard court twice in frustration, promptly drawing a warning by the chair umpire.
Up 6–5 in the second set, Djokovic clinched a break after Nadal fired a forehand shot into the net. Nadal had not lost a set all tournament until the second set of the final.
Ultimately, unforced errors were Djokovic’s undoing in the fourth set. He tired late, making 15 unforced errors in the fourth set, in contrast to Nadal’s two, and was out-aced 3–0. In the end, Nadal outlasted the rain, and Djokovic's powerful shots, to clinch victory.
Nadal had never reached the finals of the U.S. Open before, losing in the semifinals in 2008 and 2009. This is the second time that Djokovic has reached the U.S. Open finals and lost. His previous finals appearance was in 2007, when he lost to Roger Federer. Djokovic’s only Grand Slam win was in 2008, at the Australian Open.
Monday’s final was originally scheduled for Sunday but postponed after a wave of inclement weather swept across the New York City area. The match was also delayed by rain in the second set when Nadal was leading 6–4, 4–4. Public announcers asked for spectators to move indoors due to thunder and lightning, and play was suspended for almost two hours.
