Early in the morning of German time, Rafael Nadal leaned forward crying, while at New York's Arthur Ashe Stadium a video of his now 19 Grand Slam titles was shown. After five epic hours he had previously won the final of the US Open 7: 5, 6: 3, 5: 7, 4: 6, 6: 4 against Daniil Medvedev. The triumph celebration seemed well prepared - after all, Nadal played here. But it was not so clear in the end.
After 341 points scored and 289 grueling minutes, his opponent Medvedev rightfully asked: "If I won, what would they have shown on the big screen?"
Probably the madness of the 23-year-old Russian through this summer and especially through this US Open. In the two weeks in New York, Medvedev had shown the middle finger to the audience and had the rain pounding at him with outstretched arms. You would have shown his flippant interviews and wise observations. The pictures of exhaustion after 23 matches in the last 42 days. And, of course, Medvedev's catching up would have been on the video screen. After a two-set residue, he had come back sensational.
Nadal as the ultimate boss
Within a week, Medvedev made it from the villain to the hero of the tournament. That the sporty happy ending was missing, was because of the fact that Rafael Nadal once again proved to be the ultimate boss. The game cost the Spaniard some nerves. Even at the award ceremony Nadal had to swallow. From "one of the most emotional evenings of my career," said the 33-year-old. Nadal, who has played some of the most epic tennis history matches in the last decade and a half, knows what he's talking about.
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Nadal celebrated his 19th Grand Slam title. The secret protagonist was Medvedev
For Medvedev with his long legs, even after more than four hours still ran every ball, Winkel found the headache and kept always the balance and nerves.
"The atmosphere was the best of my life," he said at the press conference. Between all the "Rafa, Rafa" calls, there had also been support from the audience for Medvedev. That's why he needed only one word to classify. He talked about a great summer, a great tournament and a great match. "I'm sure I'll think back to that at the age of 70," said Medvedev.
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US Open: epic match in New YorkMemories of del Potro
The events of the Sunday left to think back to the US Open final of the men ten years ago. At that time, a 20-year-old pulled through the Herrenfeld with brutal force: Juan Martin del Potro won the US Open in 2009 with victories over Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. But the reorganization of the tennis world was missing. Instead, followed a decade in which 33 of the 40 Grand Slam titles between Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic were split.
Seeing how a young player like Daniil Medvedev can rouse a whole field of participants, one may wish that the story will continue to be written differently this time. Medvedev wants to do his part: "I've grown in the last two weeks, but I have to keep going and get better."
Even better.
