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‘Unbelievable’ Djokovic bests Nadal in New York


 

Originally published on: 20/12/11 10:28

In a tournament littered with talking points, Novak Djokovic had the final say with a phenomenal first US Open triumph as he scored a memorable victory over world No.2 Rafael Nadal to claim his fourth Grand Slam title.

Rain brought chaos to the schedule at Flushing Meadows as the final was put back to Monday for the fourth straight year, but with the media bemoaning both the absence of a roof on Arthur Ashe and the perceived inefficiencies of the USTA, Djokovic put that aside and roared to his 10th title of the season.

For all his achievements in 2011; 62 wins in 64 matches, three Grand Slam titles, six wins over Rafael Nadal – all in finals – and the assimilation of the No.1 ranking, this one, it seemed, took a while for Djokovic to come to terms with.

“It really sounds unreal; it’s an incredible feeling,” said the 24-year-old Serb after breaking Nadal 11 times to make up for losing to the Spaniard in last year’s final.

“This is, you can say, my year, or the year where I performed my best tennis at major events.”

Last year it was Nadal to whom the season belonged but after another defeat to Djokovic in 2011, the 10-time Grand Slam champion admitted that, while still disappointed, he was more content with his efforts than in their last Grand Slam meeting.

“I go back to Spain more happy today than after the Wimbledon final because after here I think I am on the right way to try to beat him,” revealed Nadal.

“This guy is doing unbelievable things, so I just want to congratulate Novak. What he did this year is probably impossible to repeat.”

Ominously for Nadal, whose defeat was just his fourth in a Grand Slam
final, the Belgrade native is keen to continue to deliver.

“There are still a lot of things to prove to myself and to the tennis world,” said Djokovic.

“I still want to win many more major events. It’s just that love for the sport that keeps me going. And winning on the court, that feeling, as long as it stays with me, I will keep fighting for more trophies.”

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.