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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