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Brawo Rafa!

Nadal Completes Career Grand Slam With US Open Title

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal became the seventh man to complete the career Grand Slam, and the youngest to accomplish the feat in the Open Era at 24 years of age, as he defeated World No. 2 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday to win his first US Open title.

Nadal, who achieved the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double this past summer, continued his stellar run of form at the majors as he became the first player to win three straight Grand Slam tournaments in the same season since Rod Laver won all four in 1969.

“I’m still 24. For me, it's a dream to have the career Grand Slam, but this is more a dream to have the US Open,” he said. “[It’s an] unbelievable feeling because I worked a lot all my life, in all difficult moments to be here, but I never imagined to have the four Grand Slams.”

The Manacor native, the third Spaniard to win the US Open (Manuel Orantes - 1975, Manuel Santana - 1965), collected his ninth Grand Slam crown, adding to his five on clay at Roland Garros (2005-08, 2010), two on grass at Wimbledon (2008, 2010), and one on hard court at the Australian Open (2009). He is the second player to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces at least twice, behind Mats Wilander.

“He has the capabilities already now to become the best player ever,” Djokovic said. “I think he's playing the best tennis that I ever seen him play on hard courts. He has improved his serve drastically. The speed, the accuracy, and of course his baseline is as good as ever. So he's a very complete player.”

After semi-final exits the past two years at Flushing Meadows, Nadal had made his way confidently through to the championship match – dropping serve just twice in 91 service games – and was looking to become the first player since Neale Fraser in 1960 to win the US Open title without losing a set.

Though Nadal’s date with destiny was delayed after rain pushed the men’s final to Monday for a third straight year, Nadal made a confident start to the championship match as he broke Djokovic. He dropped serve for just the third time during the US Open fortnight as the Serbian drew level at 2-2, but regained the lead as he converted on his sixth break point opportunity of the next game.

Nadal, who has a 106-1 win-loss record in Grand Slam play after winning the first set, played a loose service game early in the second set – broken at love to give Djokovic the 3-1 lead. The Serbian, who won a string of 11 points, looked poised to become the first player to force a set off of Nadal during the 2010 US Open but faltered as Nadal got back on serve in the seventh game.

The pair were locked at 4-4, 30/30, when rain suspended play shortly after 6pm. The match resumed at 7:59pm after a one-hour, 57-minute rain delay, and saw Djokovic come out the stronger of the two players. He broke the Spaniard for a third time to force a set off of Nadal for the first time during the 2010 US Open.

Djokovic was unable to maintain the momentum, however, with Nadal continually putting pressure on his serve. The top seed created 16 break point chances through the final two sets and converted on three of them (6 for 26 during the match). He claimed the victory in three hours and 43 minutes as his opponent’s return sailed wide on championship point.

Another historic feat occurred after rain interrupted a Monday men’s final 31 years ago. After a one-hour, 35-minute delay, with helicopters brought in to help dry the courts, Rod Laver donned spikes on the grass courts and clinched a four-set win over fellow Aussie Tony Roche – completing his calendar year Grand Slam.

Of the previous six to win all four majors, Laver was the only other left-hander to win all four and also the only other player to complete his set by winning the US Open.

Nadal has already secured his place in the elite eight-man field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will return to The O2 in London from 21-28 November, and has set his sights on winning the year-end championships.

“My goal remains for me that the [Barclays ATP World Tour Finals] is probably the last big tournament that I didn't win,” he said. “That's true it’s the most difficult title for me to win because we play it indoors, and when indoor, indoor very quick surface, so gonna be always very difficult if we don't change that. But at the same time is a challenge for me to keep improving to have the chance to play well there and to have the chance to win, so that's what I’m gonna try this year.

“For me right now the next goal is try to finish the season much better than what I did in other years. The last part of the season always was difficult for me. Well, today it started to be less difficult, that's true. But I want to finish the season if it's possible with a good feeling.”

Djokovic had earned his place in the final by saving two match points to defeat Roger Federer in Saturday’s semi-final, reclaiming the No. 2 spot in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings with the victory.

He said: “Maybe emotionally I was a little bit drained after the semifinal match, but I recovered. I had two days, and I was motivated to win this match, and this is one of the matches where the opponent plays better than you, and you just have to congratulate him and tell him, ‘You're better.’ That's it. I don't think I played a bad match overall. It was very good performance from my side. But whenever it was important, he was the one who was playing just too good.”

The 23-year-old Serbian, who finished runner-up to Federer in 2007 at the US Open, was attempting to collect his second Grand Slam title after winning the 2008 Australian Open.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … -Slam.aspx

Nadal A Man In A Hurry

Rafael Nadal has always been a man in a hurry, so it’s little surprise that he is now the youngest player in the Open Era, at just 24, to complete a career Grand Slam following his four-set victory over Novak Djokovic in the US Open final.

Nadal is redefining the way the game is being played and has earned the right to be included in the debate about who is the greatest player of all-time. Yes, he’s still seven Grand Slam titles shy of Roger Federer’s record haul of 16 – not that Grand Slam titles should be the only consideration – but it would be a brave observer to suggest the Spaniard won’t eventually approach or break Federer’s record, which may itself continue to grow in coming years. Nadal has won his nine Grand Slam titles in his first 26 appearances at the majors. By comparison, Bjorn Borg won nine in his first 22; Federer won nine in his first 30 and Sampras nine in his first 31.

Could it be just five months ago that Nadal was enduring an 11-month title drought before he began his clay-court campaign at Monte-Carlo? How things have changed! Between mid April and mid September Nadal won three consecutive Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open and became the first man ever to make a sweep of the three clay court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in the one season when he won Monte-Carlo (for the loss of just 14 games!), Rome and Madrid. His Madrid triumph, at age 23, earned him a record 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, beating the 17th title that Andre Agassi won at 34 years of age.

At 18, Nadal was already giving every indication that he would one day be regarded as one of the greatest clay courters of all time, winning Monte-Carlo, Rome and (days after turning 19) Roland Garros. In all, in 2005 he won eight clay court tournaments among 11 titles – the most ever won in one season by a teenager.

But there we also signs in 2005 that Nadal was not a Spanish clay court stereotype. He won ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles indoors in Madrid and on a fast hard court in Montreal, where in the final he took out no less than Agassi, one of the greatest hard court players in history. When Nadal made a stunning run to the Wimbledon final in 2006 to prove his versatility on grass, the tennis world had all the proof it needed that Federer was not the only player capable of completing a career Slam.

That Nadal has won all four majors is not really a surprise, but the speed of his achievement perhaps is. Let’s not forget that Federer was 28 when he completed his career Slam at Roland Garros. And what a golden era for tennis to have these two all-time greats playing at the same time. There was a 30-year gap between Rod Laver winning his Open Era calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969 and when Andre Agassi completed a career Grand Slam in 1999. Tennis fans had to wait little more than one year for Nadal to clinch his career Slam after Federer did it in 2009 at Roland Garros.

What is the secret of his success? Many things, of course, but above all a unrivaled mental toughness and unrelenting determination to keep getting better. Once regarded as having little more than a handy serve, Nadal is now firing 135 mph cannons and proved during the US Open that he is one of the toughest players to break, dropping serve just twice en route to the final. Raised as a baseliner with extreme grips, Nadal has worked tirelessly to become one of the most reliable volleyers in the game. And let’s not forget the resilience he’s shown to recover from long-standing knee tendinitis, which kept him from defending his Wimbledon title in 2009.

Nadal's next missions are likely to be more like a marathon than a sprint: trying to top Federer's haul of 16 majors and perhaps Sampras' all-time mark of 286 weeks spent as World No. 1. But, at 24, time is on his side.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE- … ibute.aspx

US Open - Nadal's US Open the talk of New York

Rafa Nadal was still beaming about winning the US Open when he spent his final day in New York on Tuesday, posing for photographs and appearing on the morning talkshow circuit, before heading back to Spain.

The world number one was taken on a whirlwind tour of Manhattan on Tuesday, showing off his new trophy to screaming fans in Times Square and on Fifth Avenue and being whisked around the television studios, before preparing to fly back home.

The 24-year-old was all smiles as he waved to the crowds then spoke with media after celebrating his 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 win over Novak Djokovic in Monday night's rain-delayed final at Flushing Meadows.

"Yeah, it's unbelievable for me. It's more than I ever dreamed about, that I ever thought I can do," he said.

"It's just an amazing feeling and I'm very happy to have my first US Open in my hands now."

Nadal was dressed casually in denim jeans and a navy blue polo shirt and looked remarkably fresh after managing just a few hours sleep from the night before because of all his media commitments after the final.

He said he had celebrated his victory by having a quiet meal with his family, including his coach and uncle Toni who had convinced him to focus on tennis.

"It was one of my frustrations when I was a kid," Nadal said. "I love the football, it was my passion. I would have loved to play football, but it's impossible to do everything.

"In football, I wasn't really good, I was a really normal player."

Nadal had already won Wimbledon, the Australian Open and French Open championships and by adding the one major title that had eluded him, he became just the seventh man to complete a career Grand Slam.

His achievement, at just 24, immediately reignited the debate about who is the greatest player of all but Nadal, wincing every time the subject is mentioned, remained reluctant to talk about it.

He has always maintained that Roger Federer, with a record 16 Grand Slam titles, is alone at the top of the mountain. Nadal has nine Grand Slam titles.

Federer won the US Open five times in a row from 2004-2008 and Nadal, who was once considered a clay-court specialist, said he was happy just to win once on the hardcourts at Flushing Meadows.

"I always saw this tournament as very far for me," he said.

"This tournament wasn't the best ... and that's very emotional for me."
Reuters

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/15092010/58/ … -york.html

Rafael Nadal: najwspanialsze chwile - galeria

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis … tures.html

US Open 2010: adulation proves Rafael Nadal is beginning to conquer America

Everyone in that line was wearing a T-shirt with his name on the front, and the girls’ screams could well have carried all the way through Central Park and up into Harlem.

And it was not just the girls who could not control themselves, as John McEnroe could not either, telling Nadal: “Everybody loves you – on behalf of everyone here, can I just say thank you for being you.”

If that was a bit much from the New Yorker, there is no doubt that Nadal has taken the first step to breaking America. Though there is plenty of crossover here between those who enjoy Roger Federer’s game and those who appreciate Nadal’s, they each reach parts that the other does not.

Federer appeals more to corporate America, and to white-fence America. Nadal is more popular with those under 40, and it looked as though he disappointed a few of the girls here when he told them that he had a girlfriend and had been with her for five years.

Nadal had had just three hours of sleep before meeting his public, though that was not because he had been out all night partying; because of all his post-match commitments, there had been no time for that.

The world No 1, who sat on a stool with the trophy wedged precariously between his knees, said he would wait until he returned home, when he was with family and friends, before he properly celebrated becoming only the seventh man in history to win all four grand slams, “and sometimes when you go to a party in Majorca, you don’t come home until seven in the morning”.

Though Nadal could not select a favourite out of his nine slams, he did acknowledge the significance of this one, as it allowed him to finish his collection. “I thought that this grand slam would be very difficult for me to win, and maybe if I had not done it this year or in the next two years, it could have become an obsession, and that could have made it more difficult for me to do it,” he said.

“I never imagined that I would win all the four grand slams, but now I have, and so maybe in the future I will be more relaxed when I play.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis … erica.html

Tenis. Rafael Nadal, człowiek, który nie stoi w miejscu

Rafael Nadal pokonał Novaka Djokovicia 6:4, 5:7, 6:4, 6:2 w finale US Open i został siódmym tenisistą w historii, który choć razy wygrał każdy turniej Wielkiego Szlema. - Z obwieszczeniem, że najlepszym graczem w dziejach był Roger Federer, trzeba poczekać - mówi Mats Wilander.

- Jesteś najlepszy na świecie i zasłużyłeś na tytuł - powiedział po finale z uśmiechem przegrany Djoković, który z niezniszczalnym Hiszpanem zagrał prawdopodobnie najlepszy mecz w roku, a być może jeden z najlepszych w życiu. Wystarczyło to tylko na wygranie seta. - Kosztowało mnie to mnóstwo pracy - wzdychał Nadal, który za pierwsze w karierze zwycięstwo w US Open dostał czek na 1,7 mln dol. Znacznie cenniejsze jest jednak to, że wielkimi krokami wchodzi do tenisowej historii.

Fred Perry (1935), Don Budge (1938), Roy Emerson (1964), Rod Laver (1962), Andre Agassi (1999), Roger Federer (2009) i Rafael Nadal (2010) - tak od poniedziałku wygląda najekskluzywniejszy klub tenisowy dla tych, którzy choć raz wygrali każdy z czterech Szlemów. 24-letni Nadal ma ich w sumie już dziewięć. Do pięciu tytułów w Roland Garros, dwóch Wimbledonów i Australian Open dorzucił brakujący Nowy Jork. Na męskiej liście wszech czasów Nadal jest siódmy, przed nim, z większą liczbą tytułów, są tylko: Federer (16), Pete Sampras (14), Emerson (12), Laver i Björn Borg (po 11) oraz Bill Tilden (10). Sampras nigdy nie wygrał jednak w Paryżu, Borg w Australii i Nowym Jorku, a Tilden nie zdobył ani Paryża, ani Melbourne.

Nadal jest najmłodszym zdobywcą czterech Szlemów od czasów Lavera, czyli odkąd tenis stał się zawodowym sportem. I pierwszym po legendarnym Australijczyku, któremu udało się zwyciężyć po kolei we French Open, Wimbledonie i US Open w jednym sezonie. Gdyby nie kontuzja kolan i mięśni brzucha na początku sezonu w Australii, być może Hiszpanowi udałoby się nawet skompletować klasyczny Szlem, czyli wygrać wszystko w roku kalendarzowym. Taka sztuka udała się dotąd tylko Laverowi i Budge'owi, ale w czasach, gdy tenis był znacznie wolniejszy i niemal zmonopolizowany przez turnieje rozgrywane na trawie. - Nadal ma jeszcze czas na klasycznego Szlema. Ma dopiero 24 lata - stwierdził po finale US Open 72-letni Laver.

Rozwój, adaptacja, zmiana...

- Cały czas się rozwijam. Nie stoję w miejscu. Wiem, że mój tenis wciąż może być lepszy. Słucham trenera, słucham rad, szukam dobrych rozwiązań - tłumaczy Nadal przyczyny swojego sukcesu.

Jeszcze trzy-cztery lata temu rzeczywiście trudno było sobie wyobrazić, by muskularny chłopak z Majorki, który poza szybkimi nogami miał niewiele do zaoferowania, mógł zostać najlepszym tenisistą świata. Dziś trudno uwierzyć, by mógł być nim ktoś inny. Nadal, którego hiszpańska prasa okrzyknęła po finale "sportową legendą", drugiego w rankingu ATP Djokovicia wyprzedza o blisko 5 tys. punktów! A swoje dziewięć tytułów w Szlemie zdobył jako zawodnik o rok młodszy niż Federer.

Dyskusja, czy Hiszpan jest od niego lepszy, znów odżyła. Dziś dominuje pogląd, że Federer to prawdopodobnie największy tenisowy talent, jaki się urodził. Z elegancką, efektowną grą, tenisem składającym się niemal wyłącznie z pięknych ruchów i uderzeń. Nadal jest z nim zestawiany jako wzór pracy nad sobą. Rozwój, doskonalenie, adaptacja - to napędzało od początku jego karierę. Na genialnego stratega i wizjonera wyrasta wujek Toni Nadal, który od dziecka trenował "Rafę". To on nauczył praworęcznego ośmiolatka grać lewą ręką, z perfidną świadomością, że w ten sposób będzie groźniejszy dla rywali, bo trudniej gra się z kimś, kto ma leworęczny forhend. Nauczył go też podkręcać piłki, bo tak gra się szybciej, ale jednocześnie bezpieczniej (podkręcona piłka lepiej "trzyma się" kortu). Kilka lat temu wydawało się, że wyżej niż seryjne zwycięstwa na najwolniejszej nawierzchni Rolanda Garrosa, "Rafa" już nie podskoczy. Wujek Toni i sam Nadal wykonali jednak tytaniczny wysiłek i powoli dostosowali się także do szybszych nawierzchni. "Rafa" schudł, żeby być jeszcze szybszym i odpierać ataki wysokich i mocno bijących piłkę zawodników. Zaczął grać agresywniej, żeby skracać wymiany. Stopniowo wprowadził wolejowe ataki przy siatce, co też pomaga na szybkich kortach. W 2008 r. nowa strategia zaczęła przynosić efekty, bo Nadal wygrał Wimbledon, zatrzymując w finale Federera. Rok później zwyciężył w Australian Open, znów bijąc Federera, który po finale płakał. Teraz w Nowym Jorku Hiszpan dokończył dzieła, a pomogła mu kolejna ewolucja - znacznie lepszy serwis, co okazało się kluczem do zwycięstwa z Djokoviciem. Serb w drugim i przez pół trzeciego seta grał bowiem rewelacyjnie, trafiał niemal wszystko. Nadal znacznie łatwiej wygrywał jednak własne serwisy, co w kluczowych momentach okazało się decydujące. Z większą swobodą mógł bowiem zaatakować.

- Odczuwam wielką satysfakcję, że udało nam się tak poprawić grę na twardych kortach. Poza serwisem ważne było też, że "Rafa" przysunął się do siatki, przestał grać za linią końcową - promieniał wujek Toni.

Psychicznie najmocniejszy

- Z obwieszczeniem, że najlepszym graczem w dziejach jest Federer, trzeba poczekać, aż Nadal skończy karierę - mówi Szwed Mats Wilander, siedmiokrotny triumfator Szlemów z lat 80. Poza tym, że Nadal wygrywa Szlemy szybciej niż Federer, ważne jest też, że Hiszpan bezdyskusyjnie dominuje w bezpośredniej rywalizacji nad 29-letnim Szwajcarem. Pokonał go 14 razy, przegrał tylko siedem. - Trudno być najlepszym w historii, gdy ktoś ciągle z tobą wygrywa, tak jak Nadal z Federerem - mówi Wilander. Przyczyn porażek Szwajcara z Hiszpanem większość ekspertów szuka w psychice. Nadal jest najsilniejszym mentalnie graczem od czasów Borga. Najlepiej gra pod presją. W finale z Djokoviciem, gdy pod koniec trzeciego seta praktycznie rozstrzygał się mecz, Hiszpan zaserwował trzy razy nie do obrony dokładnie w sam narożnik, gdzie krzyżują się linie. - Niewiarygodne, niemożliwe! - kręcił głową Djoković. Federer nigdy tak silny psychicznie nie był.

- Zastanawianie się, czy jestem lepszy od Rogera, jest głupie. Ma więcej tytułów, więc jest lepszy. Tak już zostanie do końca mojego życia - stwierdził Nadal. Zawsze skromny, nielubiący się wywyższać Hiszpan, zaznaczył, że najważniejszy dla niego jest udany powrót po kontuzjach. - Ostatni rok był dla mnie trudny. Prześladowały mnie urazy, miałem też problemy osobiste [rozwód rodziców], ale jakoś udało mi się odnaleźć. Mogę jednak grać jeszcze lepiej, da się jeszcze parę rzeczy poprawić - zakończył człowiek, który być może nigdy nie będzie najlepszym tenisistą w historii, ale na pewno nieprędko się zatrzyma, zmierzając po ten tytuł.

http://www.sport.pl/tenis/1,64987,83774 … ejscu.html

Wywiad po zwycięstwie w US Open 2010

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations. It's a remarkable achievement what you did out there tonight and in such an impressive fashion with such great play. Now you have the career Grand Slam. Talk about what tonight means to you and this trophy means to you.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, well, just thank you very much, first thing. Yeah, it was amazing feeling. I think win against Novak is always very, very difficult, and the results say that lots of times, I lost against him. So I think for the first time in my career I played a very, very good match in this tournament. That's my feeling, no? I played my best match in the US Open at the most important moment, so I am very, very happy for that, for sure.

Q. In the career Grand Slam, though...

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I know, for you, very important, that. (Laughter.) You know, I still 24. I have, I know, for me, it's a dream have the career Grand Slam, but this is more dream have the US Open. Is some moments unbelievable feeling because I worked a lot all my life, in all difficult moments to be here, but I never imagined have the four Grand Slams.

Q. Can you talk a little bit how you've improved your hardcourt game? Because obviously you started on clay and then you made a big adjustment for grass. What have you done to become a champion on hardcourts?

RAFAEL NADAL: I did, in 2009, I won in Australia, too.

Q. But you're better now.

RAFAEL NADAL: Maybe, or maybe not. I don't know. (Laughter.) Is part of the moment and part of the situation, no? And part of the confidence. So always when you are playing well and when you are in the right moment with big confidence, seems like you improved a lot. But, you know, there are moments when you are not playing that good, when you lose your confidence, you lose matches, and seems like you are not playing that good and you forgot to play tennis. It's not like this, and it is not like this I improved a lot since 2009. I think I improved my tennis a little bit but is not a radical change, no? Sure, to win in here in the US Open I think is the more difficult tournament for me to play, more difficult conditions to adapt, to adjust my game on this court, for the balls, for the court, for everything, no? In Australia, anyway, if it's hot, the ball, the bounce are higher. And in Wimbledon, is true I have to adjust a lot my game to play in Wimbledon, but in my opinion, play in Wimbledon for me always wasn't that bad, because one of the most important things on Wimbledon is the movements, and I think my movements are good to play well in that surface. The surface help me, because my serve was not that good, that I have today, and with less serve I can do it the same, the same to the opponent as what I have today at this tournament especially and with this serve and with the US Open. For that reason I think the hardcourt always was the most difficult surface to play good for me, especially with the serve because I have to play almost every point, and probably the serve make the big difference in this tournament.

Q. I think you're strong mentally keep point for completing Grand Slam. How you keep your mental so strong, consistent?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I think my the practice is done a lot of years ago, so is not the moment now that I have. I am strong now because I think practice everything you can practice everything. I think the mentality, I practice it a lot, my mentality, a lot when I was a kid, so right now for me it is a little bit easier, I think.

Q. What do you think you have to accomplish to convince yourself that you're ahead of Roger, maybe the greatest ever?

RAFAEL NADAL: Remain a lot of titles, so that's no doubt about that, no? I think I am more than happy that with my titles, for sure I think is talk about if I am better or worse than Roger is stupid, because the titles say he's much better than me, so that's the true at that moment. I think will be the true all my life. But, sure, for me, always, always Roger was an example, especially because he improved his tennis I think during all his career, and that's a good thing that you can copy, no? So I try to copy this, and I know Roger and me are different, much different styles. Being better than Roger I don't think so is the right moment to talk about that, because I am I don't think that.

Q. What do you think the future of your rivalry is with him? How long do you think it will last?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. Well, now Novak is, too, but he has to defend a lot of points now in the end of the season now, Novak, too. He gonna have his chance to be win the year No. 2, Novak, too. But Roger is there, too, to finish No. 2. You know, we start every year, and a lot of new players and good players are there like well, not new, Novak and Andy are not new, Andy Murray, but always come new players, very good players. But for the last six years, Roger and me was we were No. 1 and No. 2, no? So that's probably a great rivalry since that six years. We will see what happens in the future. I am not a genius.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about today's rain delay, what you did during that time and what you told yourself about the match?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, well, the delay, it wasn't in the right moment for me, but just go back to the locker room, have a shower, and have all the tapes another time. That's what I did.

Q. What did you tell yourself about the match at that point?

RAFAEL NADAL: Nothing special, no? I think -- I thought before the match gonna be very difficult for me to win this match today, because the style of Novak is very difficult for me, because he play aggressive, he play very inside the court with very complete shots on the baseline, forehand and backhand, and difficult for me. But I started the match feeling the ball great, and for me what I said to myself is I did another time, so I can do it another time. So just be there, fight every point and try to play with high intensity all the time, so I know if I play with high intensely, put a lot of balls inside and play long. Finally, I think he can be more tired than me, so if the match is long, I think I gonna have a little bit of advantage, and that's what I thought before the match. But if he starts to play like he did in Paris, is true indoor is different, my level is completely different now than what I did in the Masters 1000 in Paris last year, but when he's playing at his best, he's very difficult to stop.

Q. I'm sorry we broke a tradition. Normally when the winner of the Grand Slam comes in the media room, everybody claps. We didn't do it tonight. (Applause.) Second thing, you're ahead of Roger being 24 years old of three Slams. I'd like to know, now that you lost only five times the serve in all tournament, only one set, what is your goal now? Because you won already everything, Davis Cup, Olympic Games, all the four Slams. Is the major goal to reach Roger or something else?

RAFAEL NADAL: Is very, very -- is too far. 16 for me is too far for me to think about that, no?

Q. So what else?

RAFAEL NADAL: My goal is all the time and all my life was the same, is keep improving and feel myself better player next year than what I felt this year. Being better player doesn't mean you gonna win more than you did, because win or lose sometimes is part of the moment and part of the confidence. But my goal remains for me that the Masters Cup is the big, yeah, probably the last big tournament that I didn't win. That's true is the most difficult title for me to win, because we play it in indoor, and when indoor, indoor very quick surface, so gonna be always very difficult if we don't change that. But at the same time is a challenge for me to keep improving to have the chance to play well there and to have the chance to win. So that's what I gonna try this year. For me right now the next goal is try to finish the season much better than what I did in other years. The last part of the season always was difficult for me. Well, today it started to be less difficult, that's true. But, yeah, I want to finish the season if it's possible with a good feeling.

Q. I spoke to Mats Wilander, and he said that you are the most improved player this year. You've won 21 matches and only dropped 2 sets. He says you're one hell of a special athlete. What could you do to improve since you've done so much with all these titles? How do you think you can improve?

RAFAEL NADAL: For me the most important thing is try to keep serving like I did during this tournament. I think that's if I can do it, this most of the times gonna be a big change for me and my tennis career, because if I have that free points that I had during all this tournament gonna be different for me. I can play more aggressive. I can play with more calm when I am returning. So can change a lot. So that's, for me, the first very important part to keep improving. After that, I can improve everything: volley, keep improving the volley, keep improving the position on court, being more inside the court. I improved a lot since last year, but never is enough. I am not a perfect player, so everybody can improve.

Q. Did you expect such good play from Novak in the second set?

RAFAEL NADAL: I expect everything from Novak because he's the No. 2 of the world, and his level is very, very high. I'm sure he gonna win this tournament very soon, no? Because his level is unbelievable, and I think he has the right game to win here and to win in almost every place, no, or in every place. So I wish him the best of luck, because he's a great athlete, but at the same time is a great, great person. When he lose, is not easy to do it what he do all the time when he lose matches. That's very positive for the sport and great example for everybody.

Q. You've achieved so much over these brief years starting maybe with the clay court streak and then winning in so many different circumstances. In the big picture, we sort of debate what are your greatest strengths. What do you think your greatest strengths are as a champion? Is it strokes or focus, willingness to make changes, attitude? What do you think are your two or three greatest strengths?

RAFAEL NADAL: What's my best thing? I think the mentality, attitude on court I think always was good for me. I am positive on court, and I fight all the time. But not the only thing. Positive attitude is not only fight on court. I think I was able to listen all the time to the coach and to have adjustments and to be ready to change things to be better and to improve. So probably that's was the best thing for me. If we talk about the game, for sure for me I think the best thing that I have is my intensity on court, no? When I am playing well, the intensity always is high. The rhythm is high. Sometimes yes but not always I have easy winners or with one shot winner, but I can have winners after three, four shots having a great rhythm all the time, no? So the focus on court I think was -- that's similar, no, the rhythm and focus. I can, I think, play at the same rhythm and the same level long time. So that's what I think my best thing is.

Q. He did a great job fighting off breakpoints. Did this make you nervous, or what did you think when he actually converted with so many great shots?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, on the statistics of the ATP I was No. 1 on breakpoints converted, so I think after this tournament I don't want to be No. 1 on breakpoints converted. Sure, because the second set I had big chance to go for the second break and decide the set before. I had to serve for the set with 5 4, and that's always dangerous. That's when I didn't convert any chance of the to do the second break. For sure was a little bit nervous for me, because especially on the 5 4 I have 15 30. So that was a very important moment, and at that moment I did something that I never did: three serves, one ace and two service winners. So that's the big experience for me, and believe me, that's good.

Q. Can you describe how much things have changed for you in the past 12, 15 months, whether you're surprised at how fast things have changed?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, the life change sometimes, no? Ten months ago seems like I never gonna be another time the same. Now seems I gonna be one of the greatest, so I don't think that's not that bad in that moment and not that good in this moment. So always is in the middle, I think, no? Last year I had a difficult year. Well, I had a great year because when you win a Grand Slam and three Masters 1000 you have a great year, but is true the second half of the year was very difficult for me, have some personal problems, home, and after, I have a lot of injuries, here the abdominal, before, the knees. So, yeah, wasn't an easy year. But is, at the same time, for sure, is not good have these moments but live these moments but at the same time, yes, because after that, when you come back, you are ready to (through translation) value how difficult is win titles and how difficult is be there all the time, no? When I came back and I started to win in Monte Carlo, you know, the emotion is completely different. So when you are winning and winning for a moments, you forgot how difficult this is do, is do it, no, is win tournaments no? So I didn't win a tournament for 11 months. I played for six months very bad. So after that, I think I was ready to come back in January of this year. I started the season playing really well, but the titles didn't came since I started in Monte Carlo, so was four months of playing well but hard moments, too. I was ready to win but without a victory. So I think I was I had great mentality at that moment.

Q. This is not a criticism, but what took you so long to get in here after you left the court? Were you celebrating with your family? Taking a shower? What were you doing that took you so long to get in here?

RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. To come over here. What took you so long? It's not a criticism. But what were you doing?

RAFAEL NADAL: Before?

Q. Yeah.

RAFAEL NADAL: I had the control antidoping, and saying hello, all the US Open staff and say thanks, everybody, for the organization, for the facilities that they give me, they give to me. After that, I was with the authorities, they came, thank you very much. Infanta, she came. Cristina, sorry. Cristina came. And the president of the Spanish Federation and the family. Just be out there for the family for a few minutes, and afterwards I was in the locker room organization, and having (through translation) planning? No. Organizing all the clothes. I have show in the locker.

Q. I know you don't like to compare, all right? You don't like to compare this and that and that, but you had so many celebrations, so many great moments in your career, and I saw you last this summer celebrating like if you were crazy when Spain won the World Cup in soccer. I'd like to know which is the emotion that really, you know, that causes you more joy in your life as being the most, the biggest that you never forget more than others?

RAFAEL NADAL: Every feeling is different and at the same time is good, no? Every victory is special, if we speak about my victories. Some ones are more than other ones. This one is very special for me, because is the last one remain. So when Spain won the World Cup was amazing. I was crying like like today, maybe, no? But is different feelings, but at the same time every feeling is unbelievable. But is very difficult to compare. Football is unbelievable. You know how big is football in Spain, or maybe you don't know, but we deserved that title. (Laughter.) We deserved that title a few years ago. Maybe you forgot. You forgot about the World Cup of '94 here? (Laughter.) (Motioning with elbow .) But we don't forgot. It was very emotional moment for us, for World Cup.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interv … 13666.html

US Open - Nadal: I'm not the 'Special One'

Rafa Nadal arrived back in Madrid on Wednesday after becoming only the seventh man to win all four Grand Slams and immediately dismissed the idea he was the 'Spanish Special One'.

The 24-year-old has been involved in a whirlwind round of public events and television appearances since capturing his maiden U.S. Open title by beating Serb Novak Djokovic in Monday's final.

Nadal, though, said he could not be classified as Spain's all-time greatest sportsman despite adding the season's final tennis Grand Slam to his five French Opens, two Wimbledons and one Australian Open championship.

"I think it's obvious I'm not," the left-hander said at Madrid airport after his overnight trans-Atlantic flight from New York.

"It would be tremendously arrogant of me. All athletes have their merits for what they have done in their particular sports."

World number one Nadal continued to display typical modesty when he apologised to reporters for the early news conference.

"I'm very grateful. I know it's a difficult time of day. I'm sorry," said the Spaniard, grinning from ear to ear and showing little sign of jetlag.

Nadal also explained the improved serve that surprised many pundits at Flushing Meadows.

"The truth is I was not serving very well in the tournaments leading up to the US Open," he said.

"I've worked hard on the service because it needed it. I decided to change my grip two days before the tournament, to make it (the ball travel) quicker especially when serving against the wind there always is on centre court at Flushing Meadows.

"It was a risk but I had to take it and it all worked out pretty well."

Nadal will now take a break from tennis and the Real Mallorca shareholder and football fan is planning to watch Real Madrid later on Wednesday.

He will be at the Bernabeu to see the self-proclaimed Portuguese 'Special One' Jose Mourinho's new team take on Ajax Amsterdam in their Champions League opener.

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/15092010/58/ … ecial.html