The Grandstand‘s Top 10 Matches of the Year list continues with No. 4, the U.S. Open final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev.
Just about the only person who could stop Daniil Medvedev during the hard-court summer was Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard did it easily in the Montreal final and seemed to be on course for a similarly dominant performance in the U.S. Open title match.
Instead, it developed into one of the best, most grueling matches of the year. After trailing two sets to love and by a break at 3-2 in the third, Medvedev somehow stormed back to keep Nadal on the court for four hours and 49 minutes. The Russian took the next two sets and in the fifth he broke back once after trailing 5-2. Medvedev even had a break point for 5-5 with his opponent serving for the match, but Nadal saved it in clutch fashion and persevered past the finish line two points later for a 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 triumph.
The 23-year-old struck 18 more winners than errors–an especially impressive number against a player of Nadal’s defensive caliber–and still lost. Nadal was plus-16 in the winners-to-errors department and won 51 of a shocking 66 net points, including 17 of 20 serve-and-volley plays.
One of the main storylines throughout the first half of the season was the Big 3–the old guard, so to speak–completely beating up the younger generation (with a few exceptions, of course). Although Nadal ended up getting the best of Medvedev again in this one, the U.S. Open final seemed to reverse the trend for the remainder of 2019.
“That competition (between the older generation and the newer generation),” Nadal noted, “if that attracts fans and creates interest for people, that’s good for our sport, no? I feel honored to be part of this battle.”
It was a gladiatorial battle that emerged from out of nowhere, miraculously transforming itself after previously being a borderline boring beatdown.
“I was thinking, ‘Okay, in 20 minutes I have to give a speech,” Medvedev said of trailing by two sets and a break. “‘What do I say?’ I knew I had to leave my heart out there for [the fans]. I managed to give huge fight to one of the best players in the history of our sport; have to give myself credit.”
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this match went from zero to hero in a hurry
Ricky this match had to be in top 2. Surprised you put it in fourth. It was a gs final with lot of twists and turns and kept people on the edge. Both players having +18 +16 in the winners to errors department meant they were both going for their shots and the match had more than enough highlight reel capturing rallies and moments.
Don’t agree at all with this being so low and not saying this just as a rafan.
lot of twists and turns? there were only 2 momentum swings in the entire match. It was a snooze-fest for 2 hours before Medvedev returned from the dead.
Awesome match, but three were better from start to finish.
Totally agreed.
It’s not always about the quality of tennis.Ill remember this match long after some of the others,the way Med won over the crowd after being the bad boy.
ill remember it more than many. I remember Murray-Vesely in Indian Wells for as long as I live and that was one of the worst matches in the history of tennis.
Kyrgios-Khachanov was also memorable for the wrong reasons!
If your not a fan of said player, then you will probably find a one sided match boring, rather than saying said player was actually playing fantastic, funny how fans of their own favourites always say, ” oh he played fantastic etc ” ….