U.S. Open Men’s Final preview: Rafael Nadal seeks 16th career grand slam
Rafael Nadal looked fearless and unstoppable in his semifinal match against sentimental favorite Juan Martin del Potro and now faces Kevin Anderson for the U.S. Open title.
Rafael Nadal woke up with the right attitude the day of his semifinal match against Juan Martin del Potro. After a lackluster first couple of matches at the U.S. Open, he was anything but after the first set with Delpo, attacking every angle and appearing out of nowhere to run down balls that would have left anyone else breathless. Nadal was simply sensational in the second, third, and fourth sets.
“I wake up today and say to myself, ‘Today is the day that I need to play with the right energy, and I need to increase the level of my game,’” Nadal said after the match, via ESPN. “A lot of times, I know that and it didn’t happen. But today it happened. I was playing at the right level to win that match. I’m very happy.”
What he did was magic. Juan Martin del Potro had been dictating play in the first set and it looked like he might get a hoped for second chance at another U.S. Open title. The tournament darling, his fans were hoping to chant “Ole, ole, ole” all the way to del Potro holding up the championship trophy. But Nadal “woke up” in the second set and from that point on he was purely on fire.
“I decided to change completely to play much more forehands down the line,” Nadal explained his new approach. “Then I was more unpredictable and he was in more trouble, because he didn’t know where to go.”
Del Potro was overpowered and looked completely deflated. He was a shell of the player who took out Roger Federer in their quarterfinal clash on Wednesday. Del Potro had the crowd in his pocket, wanting to see the tournament darling complete his heartwarming story after years of tragic injuries that left his career short.
Nadal couldn’t help it though, he’s on a mission for his 16th slam and it doesn’t seem like anyone can get in his way now. I’m not sure if Federer — who’s beaten him three times in a row this year—playing the way he did at the Open, could have done it this time, even if he had won his quarterfinal match against Delpo. He just seemed a bit off from his incredible run that saw him collect the Australian Open and Wimbledon slams. Nadal’s performance Friday night was stellar, with the 31-year old looking like he contained the energy of 10 men.
“Just the fight to be in the final, and have a chance to fight for another title here, is so important for me,” Nadal said on-court afterward, via ESPN. The last time he won in New York was 2013. The world No. 1 has had his fair share of injuries himself and any of his amazing wins mean a great deal.
With a win on Sunday, he will be just three behind Roger Federer. The year really has been about the two of them since they’ve split most of the big prizes. With the U.S. Open, Nadal would hold two of the grand slams this year (French) while Fed holds the other two (Australia, Wimbledon). They’re also split in Masters 1000 titles this year, with two a piece there too.
The Top seed will have the upper hand in the final against Kevin Anderson, a towering (6’8”), big server, who Nadal has known since he was 12. He’s beaten him all four times they’ve met, including earlier this year in Barcelona.
The crowd that showed up for the Anderson-Busta semi were pretty unenthusiastic, perhaps thinking of it as a warm-up to the big show later, but both semifinalists put on quite a performance, in many ways giving the audience a more compelling match than the one with marquee names del Potro and Nadal.
Next: Petra Kvitova has match to remember
The No. 28 seed prevailed over the Spaniard in a grueling match that saw the world No. 32 become the lowest ranked man to make it to the U.S. Open final. He is also the first South African since Cliff Drysdale in 1965 to make this far at Flushing Meadows, and the first ex-college player since John McEnroe in 1984.
The weight of the moment must have been felt by the 31-year old, who took the opportunity to climb the stands to get to his family box as if he’d won the tournament. You couldn’t blame his enthusiasm — he played with great passion — but he’ll have to wait until Sunday to gain that achievement.
Oh, and get past a legend named Nadal.