The 2013 US Open finals saw two of the greatest players in the game beat their current closest rivals in tournaments which went some way to closing arguments over their status in the game.
The two winners of the US Open, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, do not just have that tournament in common in 2013. Both won the French Open and US Hardcourt tournaments. And both suffered early exits at Wimbledon to aggressive risk takers against whom their measured play had no chance. But at The US Open both players cemented themselves as players of the year in their respective tours. Both of them became the only players, men and women, to win 2 slams in 2013, a fitting achievement to add to the consistency they have displayed throughout the year in which both have won more than 9 titles.
Both won the tournaments in similar styles, too. Nadal’s win was the more emphatic by a few whiskers. He lost a set to Philip Kohlchrieber and dropped some service games to Gasquet on his way to the final but that was as ugly as it got. Serena had more of a fight against Bouchard and Na Li threatened to make a go of it in the semis but her quarter-final thrashing of Suarez-Navarro, and on the Spaniard’s birthday no less, was perhaps the most devastating display of the whole tournament. Not even a game on her birthday Serena. That Wimbledon defeat must have hurt bad.
The two Champions had contrasting finals, though. Serena’s was the drama we expected against Azarenka. Breaking away from the Belorussian in the business end of the first set and then running with the momentum to lead 4-1 in the second, this US Open really did look like one of her very best campaigns domination wise. But Azarenka fought back, took the second set to a breaker and then used all her consistency and mental toughness to take the match to a third. Serena though did not get frustrated and simply buckled down to take the third set 6-1 and make this fifth US open title her 17th Major win.
Nadal on the other hand, was not taken the distance but to only four sets. The Spaniard’s forehand was on in the first set and he ran away with it 6-2. Djokovic fought back, and played more aggressively than he had all year to take the second set and lead in the third as the mental edge he had acquired on his three Major streak beating Nadal in finals looked to have taken hold of proceedings. But Nadal upped his aggression and gave a spirited and assured performance to take the match 6-1 in the fourth to win his second US Open title and his 13th Major.
For both players this Major was crucial regarding their status in the running for Greatest Player of all time. Serena is now one Major behind Navratilova and Evert. Meanwhile Nadal is four Majors behind Federer. Considering the head to head advantage Nadal has over the Swiss it woild be difficult to argue against him should he reach 17 which, if his ability to come back after injury and to move on from painful defeats is anything to go by, looks inevitable.
And on a tour on which the slow and high bounce of three of the four Major surfaces reward the style of play Nadal and Serena have made their own, the likelihood of more French Open and US Open doubles for these two the next couple of years is as high as the bleachers in the Arthur Ashe stadium.
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