Carlos Alcaraz defeats Casper Ruud to win the US Open final
It was a night to remember for Rafael Nadal, who set an all-time Open record for five hours and three service breaks in the third set. It was the first time that he had won the US Open since 2006, but he was more concerned about the damage his back suffered at the end of the tournament on Sunday.
It was also the first time that he had won the tournament since 2004, when he became world No. 1 after his comeback from a knee injury. He was in top form all week, winning the Miami Open in a tight final against Juan Martin del Potro and ending Roger Federer’s dream of taking the four major tournaments that have been contested since the Open era began in 1968.
Djokovic, the four-time champion, had to wait until the semi-finals to finally win his ninth at Flushing Meadows. But his defeat was marred by the loss of his No2 ranking.
“It’s not what I expected [this week]. I wanted to win the tournament,” Djokovic said. “I wanted to play well enough to win it. I can only see so much [in my career] and I can’t see anything I can’t do.”
Del Potro also fell to the Open in 2013, when he was the defending champion. He was the last man standing when the final was sealed in the final set, but his run ended when he hit the first shot of the next point.
“I didn’t mean to do that and I don’t really know what’s going on out there,” he said. “I can see the ball, I can hit it a little bit and he [Nadal] is there and, you know, he just hits it a little harder.”
This was a disappointing week for Federer