Nadal Wins US Open After 5-Set Thriller

Rafael Nadal of Spain in 2019
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates during play in the Men's Final, US Open Tennis Championships. Photo by Ella Ling/BPI/Shutterstock (10402856co)

After a gruelling four hours and 54 minutes of action, ATP number two Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev in what was an entertaining US Open final.

The match ended with a result of 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-4 4-6, handing Nadal his fourth US Open title. The Spaniard has become the second oldest US Open champion in the Open Era at 33 years of age and is now just one trophy behind Roger Federer’s all-time record of 20 Grand Slams.

In addition to the above feats, Nadal has also become the first mens’ singles player to win five major titles after turning 30.

Nadal had this to say following his triumph: “This victory means a lot. And the way it happened. It was hard to control the nerves. The nerves were so high after having the match almost under control. I more or less had the match under control The way he was able to fight, to change the rhythm of the match, was incredible”.

While this is Nadal’s second Grand Slam title this year after his 12th French Open trophy, Medvedev has also enjoyed a successful Summer. He won the title in Cincinnati while coming runner up at tournaments in Montreal, Washington and then the US Open. This has resulted in the Russian moving up to 4th position in the ATP World Rankings.