As if we didn’t already know how good Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal is, he reached true all-time great status on Monday night. Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in four sets to win his first U.S. Open, giving him a Career Grand Slam. Nadal joins Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge, and Fred Perry as the only male tennis players to win all four majors in a career.
Nadal won the U.S. by mowing through his competition. Taking advantage of a weakened draw due to Juan Martin del Potro’s injury and an early loss by Andy Murray, Nadal won the tournament dropping only one set — the second set of the finals against Djokovic.
The U.S. Open win gives Nadal nine Grand Slams in his career — five French Opens, two Wimbledons, one Australian, and now one U.S. Open. On top of the nine majors at the young age of 24, Nadal won the Gold Medal at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
Thought to be a clay court specialist after winning the French Open in ’05, ’06, and ’07, without winning a major at another event, Nadal his since shown his versatility. Rafa is now 9-2 in Grand Slam finals. Knee injuries have bothered the Spaniard in the past, but they were not enough to prevent him from putting his impressive stamp on the game of tennis. After winning this tournament, Rafael Nadal will go down as one of the best players in history.
Photo Credit: AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY
