Nadal Beats Djokovic in US Open Final for His 13th Grand Slam

By hugree on September 10th, 2013

It’s really hard to believe this is the same Rafael Nadal who was home during the US Open a year ago, nursing a bad left knee. Looking fit as can be and maybe even better than ever, the No. 2-ranked Nadal pulled away from No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday in a taut, tense US Open final for his 13th Grand Slam title. With the victory, Nadal crafted a comeback that was as improbable as the comeback he has crafted all season, winning 60 of his 63 matches since returning from a seven-month knee injury. “This is probably the most emotional one in my career,” Nadal said. “I know I had to be almost perfect to win.” Nadal improved to 22-0 on hard courts and 60-3 overall in 2013 with 10 titles, including the French Open, which made him the first man with at least one Grand Slam trophy in nine consecutive seasons. The 27-year-old Spaniard’s total of 13 major championships ranks third in the history of men’s tennis, behind only Roger Federer’s 17 and Pete Sampras’ 14.