Rafael Nadal will be missing out on the US Open 2023, almost 10 years after winning the Grand Slam in New York City. On September 10, 2013, the Spaniard won his 13th Grand Slam title by defeating the man who would go on to become his biggest rival of all-time, Novak Djokovic. Nadal won the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, which was extremely special since the 22-time Grand Slam champion was contemplating quitting tennis in 2012 after sitting out of the second half of that season due to a career-threatening knee injury.
The win was also crucial to re-establish Rafael Nadal as one of the world’s top 2 players, as Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray were threatening to make it their triumvirate in men’s tennis. It also made many reconfirm Nadal’s versatility on all surfaces. Interestingly, it seems as if the Spanish legend took a leaf out of his then arch-rival, Roger Federer’s book to beat Novak Djokovic.
Nadal changed his forehand style to counter Djokovic
Rafael Nadal is as it is known to be a private person, being extremely quiet, dedicated and confined when it comes to following his routine and going about his training. On the other hand, it is no secret that he as well as his uncle and then coach, Toni Nadal admire Roger Federer tremendously. While Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have two totally contrasting styles of play and approaches, the former must be given credit for having the humility to learn and trying to imitate the latter in one major aspect. The move also helped him get back on the horse in his rivalry with Novak Djokovic to a huge extent.
Two years prior to the 2013 season, Novak Djokovic had the upper hand on Rafael Nadal as he had won 8 out of their previous 11 meetings. The 3 matches that Nadal prevailed in, were on clay. Perhaps, time away from the game due to his knee injury made him reevaluate his game and come out stronger by getting back his powerful serve. Apart from that, it is likely that Rafael Nadal was watching Roger Federer continuing to be competitive against Djokovic and others on the Tour with his typical mix of technique and grace at the age of 31-32.
During the 2013 US Open final, one commentator spotted a slight change in technique in the Rafael Nadal forehand, which continues to be one of the most dreaded on the ATP Tour. At one point of the match, Nadal was leading 6-2, 2-2 with Djokovic serving at 30-0. To turn the game around, Nadal produced two blistering forehands in the same point, one which was cross court but Djokovic was able to retrieve it.
The second one though, was fired right down the line and it amazed fans and pundits alike as even the agile Djokovic could not respond to that. The commentator said that ever since Nadal lost in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships that year in straight sets, he had changed his position of pickup for the forehand. His right foot was behind on the baseline, which was almost Roger Federer-like as the Swiss maestro often was seen with a similar shot but with his left foot at the back since he was a right-hander.
He observed that Rafael Nadal did not back up for that shot especially, held his ground, then bent his knees and followed it up with a short hop, ending his forehand with the then usually high topspin that everyone knows he has. What helped Nadal beat Djokovic on the day was the precision and speed of those forehands, super serves and ability to anticipate the Serbian’s aggression. But surprisingly, that was the last instance of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic meeting at the US Open. Nadal leads Djokovic 2-1 in New York City.
Will Rafael Nadal match Roger Federer’s US Open tally in 2024?
Rafael Nadal has impressed many with his ability to adapt and bounce back stronger from adversities in his life and on court alike. Nadal last won a Grand Slam in June 2022, which was the French Open. Should he win the US Open again, it would make him level with Roger Federer, who has won 5 titles in NYC.
Nadal has publicly declared that he is targeting another ATP Tour comeback at the start of 2024. It remains to be seen whether he remains in the race of most ATP Masters titles and Grand Slams won, as Novak Djokovic has gone ahead of him in both those aspects.
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