On top of the heap
To argue that Rafa Nadal dominated the United States Open men’s singles final yesterday would be an understatement. He was on a mission from the get-go; at stake was a second major championship for the year, and a 16th in a career that not a few quarters believed to be on the wane in light of his advancing age and increasing susceptibility to injury. And how overpowering was he? Consider this: Up until his final service game, he prevented eventual runner-up Kevin Anderson from reaching deuce, winning 35 of 40 first serves and 17 of 24 second serves. Moreover, he strove to stay unpredictable, going for tactics that he hitherto appeared less than comfortable with, to great success; for instance, he went to the net 16 times and, astoundingly, won every point.
Granted, Anderson came to play as well. He did all the right things, staying positive and battling even when the outcome appeared inevitable. Despite his best efforts, however, he simply couldn’t keep pace. It wasn’t that he failed to bring his A-game with him; it was that his A-game proved far from enough. For all his booming serves, he found himself under pressure, never mind that Nadal waited to receive close to the back wall, especially on the ad court; only in the middle of the third set was he able to hold at love, and by then, he was already down two sets and a break.
No doubt, naysayers will contend that Nadal prevailed over an underwhelming field. En route to his coronation, he didn’t challenge a single Top 20 player; Juan Martin del Potro was the highest seed at 24th. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that he wrapped his arms around the US Open Trophy by doing what all the other champions did before him: He hurdled the obstacles that came his way. It wasn’t his fault that defending titleholder Stan Wawrinka, 2016 runner-up Novak Djokovic, and erstwhile World Number One Andy Murray bowed out of the tournament due to a variety of ailments, and that archrival Roger Federer exited in the Round of Eight.
In any case, it would have been fair to insist that Nadal was fated to run the table at Flushing Meadows. He wasn’t perfect; three of his matches lasted four sets. Nonetheless, he underscored his ascendancy by making timely and appropriate adjustments. Even as his trademark uppercut forehand remained his biggest weapon, he showed his willingness to learn new tricks; against Anderson, for example, he employed sliced backhands (not a comfortable shot for him) to disrupt the flow of the rally, leading to wrong-footed responses. In this regard, the presence of new coach Carlos Moya has benefited the evolution of his game.
At this point, Nadal has everything going for him, and not because his supposed peers have been facing difficulties of late. He just capped a season in which he reigned over two Grand Slam stops and forged a bridesmaid finish in a third, not an insignificant feat given how much his body seemed to be breaking down due to his physical style of play. Once again, he’s on top of the heap, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be stepping down anytime soon.
Nadal has everything going for him, and not because his supposed peers have been facing difficulties of late. He just capped a season in which he reigned over two Grand Slam stops and forged a bridesmaid finish in a third, not an insignificant feat given how much his body seemed to be breaking down due to his physical style of play. Once again, he’s on top of the heap, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be stepping down anytime soon.