Rafael Nadal is the overwhelming favorite to capture the 2017 US Open in Sunday’s final against Kevin Anderson. With Grand Slam title No. 16 on the line, this will be a key milestone for Rafa to catch Roger Federer’s all-time record at 19.
NEW YORK, FLUSHING MEADOWS – Does anybody remember the road to Rafa Nadal’s US Open titles in 2010 and 2013? I doubt it. If Rafa prevails over Kevin Anderson in Sunday’s final capturing his third US Open and sixteenth Grand Slam title, a few years from now nobody will remember that in this tournament the Spaniard hasn’t faced any player ranked higher than No. 28. Winning is everything: Everybody will simply remember that he won the 2017 US Open
It is virtually impossible that Rafa will lose the final at this point. Kevin Anderson might play a competitive match and perhaps win a set, but it is almost unfeasible that he could win three against an in-form Nadal. The Spaniard’s physical, technical and mental condition has been spectacular in the last three matches.
Rafa has won 15 of the 22 Grand Slam finals that he has played so far, and his losses never came against underdogs such as Kevin Anderson. He lost three finals to Roger Federer, three to Novak Djokovic and one to Stan Wawrinka. Anderson is the first South African to compete in a Grand Slam final since Kevin Curren at Wimbledon in 1985, when Curren lost a legendary final to 17-year-old Boris Becker after upsetting Edberg, Connors and McEnroe.
Anderson has an extremely powerful serve averaging at least 20 aces per match and relying on a very dangerous second delivery. Besides showing an incredible form, Rafa has been tactically approaching his matches with clever strategies throughout this event. After being outplayed by Del Potro’s massive forehand and serve for the majority of the first set, the Spaniard changed tactic in the second. “I was playing to his backhand too often and as soon as I dropped the ball short, I allowed him to run around the ball hitting devastating inside-out forehands. At that point, I decided to play more to his forehand and move him around as much as I could. It paid off,” Rafa said in his post-match press conference.
At the tail end of the match, Del Potro seemed to be mentally and physically spent after surviving grueling battles against Thiem and Federer in the previous rounds.
According to the famous Argentinian journalist and analyst Guillermo Salatino, Del Potro’s preparation for the 2017 season was extremely poor due to the celebrations that followed Argentina’s first Davis Cup victory at the end of November last year. “He didn’t prepare like someone that was willing to get back among the top four players in the world and that lead to discontinuous results in 2017,” Guillermo said. Salatino also talked about Del Potro’s tentativeness when playing his backhand: “His left wrist has completely healed. The problem is only in his head.”
Despite hitting some incredibly powerful backhands for the majority of the first set against Nadal, Del Potro said after the match: “I can’t win against the best players in the world with this backhand.” Apparently, no sports psychologist has been able to convince him otherwise.
As for Roger and Rafa, it is fascinating how one of the biggest match-ups in the history of our sport with 37 battles played around the world has never materialized in New York City. It is also surprising how the 2017 Grand Slam season will probably end with Federer and Nadal each capturing two Slams, partially due to the psychological and physical burn-out of the other two members of the Fab Four – Djokovic and Murray.
If Rafa wins on Sunday, he will capture Grand Slam title No. 16, only three shy of Roger Federer’s all-time record at 19. With Rafa being five years younger than his legendary rival, it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard can catch and surpass the Swiss in the Grand Slam title count in the next few years.
On Saturday, the women’s all-American final will feature Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys. In my opinion, none of the two will become a great champion, but it is significant how this will be the first final between two African-American players without the Williams’ sisters. We are starting to see the legacy of Venus and Serena and the impact that the two sisters have had on American tennis. Sloane and Madison wouldn’t probably be here if it wasn’t for Venus and Serena, whose achievements have motivated African-American girls to pick up a racquet and fall in love with the sport.
(Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions – www.t-lglobal.com )
