New York, Sept 13: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic returned brilliantly and swatted winners from all angles to beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 on Monday night and earn his first U.S. Open title and third Grand Slam trophy of 2011.
Djokovic improved to 64 wins from 66 matches with 10 tournament titles in a simply spectacular year, one of the greatest in the history of men's tennis -- or any sport, for that matter.
"I've had an amazing year," Djokovic said, "and it keeps going."
Against No. 2 Nadal, Djokovic is 6-0, all in finals -- three on hard courts, including Monday; two on clay; and one on grass at Wimbledon in July. Djokovic also won the Australian Open in January, and is only the sixth man in the 40-plus years of the Open era to collect three major titles in a single season. "Obviously I'm disappointed, but you know what, this guy is doing is unbelievable," Nadal said.
Addressing Djokovic, Nadal added: "What you did this year is impossible to repeat, so well done."
The best win-loss record in the modern era was John McEnroe's 82-3 in 1984, although that included two Grand Slam titles, because he lost in the French Open final and didn't enter the Australian Open. Roger Federer was 81-4 in 2005 with two majors, exiting twice in the semifinals. Rod Laver (twice) and Don Budge are the only men to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a year.
Djokovic attributes his rise this season to a number of factors, including a vastly improved serve, better fitness -- owing, at least in part, to a gluten-free diet he doesn't like to discuss in any detail -- and a seemingly endless reservoir of confidence that dates to December, when he led Serbia to its first Davis Cup title.
That's where Djokovic began a 43-match winning streak that ended with a semifinal loss to Federer in the French Open semifinals. The only other blemish on Djokovic's 2011 record was a loss to Andy Murray in the Cincinnati Masters final last month; Djokovic stopped playing while trailing, citing a painful shoulder.
That was the 24-year-old Serb's last match before heading to Flushing Meadows. His shoulder was fine, clearly, and while he was treated by a trainer for a bad back three times in the late going Monday -- perhaps the reason his serves slowed to the 90s mph (140s kph) in the fourth set -- he overcame it. With both men playing fantastic, court-covering defense, there were more than two dozen points that lasted at least 15 strokes.
Nadal won three major titles in 2010, including beating Djokovic in the U.S. Open final. But this rematch was more of a mismatch, with Djokovic quickly turning things around after falling behind 2-0 in each of the first two sets.
Only in the third set did Djokovic really falter for a few moments, getting broken while serving for the match at 6-5, then being outplayed in the tiebreaker. But in the fourth set, Djokovic was in control from the start, breaking in the opening game with a forehand winner, then cruising from there.
When Djokovic ended it with another forehand winner, he raised his arms, then tossed aside his racket and dropped to the court. He pulled off his shirt and threw it into the stands, then put on a dark hat with "FDNY" written on it - a nod to Sunday's 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which both he and Nadal mentioned during the trophy ceremony. Of all of Djokovic's skills, the one that separated him the most across the 4-hour, 10-minute final was his return. He repeatedly sent serves back over the net and at Nadal's feet, forcing errors or taking control of the point, helping Djokovic accumulate an astounding 26 break points and convert 11.
Consider this: When Nadal completed his career Grand Slam by winning last year's U.S. Open, he was broken a total of five times in seven matches. Another telling statistic: Four times Monday, Nadal broke Djokovic -- only to have Djokovic break right back in the next game.
That's exactly what happened in the third game of the second set, which lasted 17 minutes and featured a bit of everything: 22 points; eight deuces; six break points; a time violation warning against Nadal (Djokovic was admonished later in the set); complaints by both men that the glare from the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights was bothersome; seven exchanges that lasted at least 10 strokes. After a 28-shot point, Djokovic leaned over and put his hands on his knees, his chest heaving. Nadal was the one who faltered, though. He double-faulted to set up break point No. 6, then -- on a great defensive lob by Djokovic -- put an overhead into the net.
The final -- delayed a day to Monday by rain for the fourth consecutive U.S. Open -- was marked by spectators calling out during points or as the players were in their service motions, and while that's perhaps to be expected in New York (as opposed to, say, the staid All England Club), Djokovic and Nadal were bothered by it, and the chair umpire repeatedly chastised the unruly crowd.
Once he adjusted to the conditions, Djokovic disguised shots well, rearing back and ripping big shots off both wings -- often right near lines, if not right on them. He wound up with 55 winners -- 23 more than Nadal -- and all in all, put on a masterful display of as diverse a game as one can have. He excelled at everything -- serving, returning, volleying, groundstrokes and the sort of constant movement and retrieving with which Nadal usually frustrates opponents. At 25 years old, Nadal owns 10 Grand Slam titles. He has acknowledged, though, that Djokovic holds a psychological advantage. Late in Monday's first set, Djokovic hit two drop shots that the normally relentless and indefatigable Nadal didn't even bother to chase. AP
