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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday September 9, 2019


Will crunch time be clutch time for Rafael Nadal in New York on Sunday? The Spaniard will bid to win his 19th Grand Slam title when he faces rising Russian Daniil Medvedev on Sunday in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Join us for a preview of the last Grand Slam final of 2019.

Rafa, King of New York

They call the Spaniard the King of Clay, and rightfully so as he is the reigning and 12-time champion in Paris, but Nadal has also edged closer to New York greatness over the last three years, and here he is, threatening to move closer to the top of the all-time Open Era US Open men’s singles titles list on Sunday.

Nadal is bidding to tie John McEnroe with his fourth US Open title and if he’s successful, he’ll land just one behind the record—Federer, Sampras and Connors each have five—if he can win today against Medvedev he’ll significantly raise his non-clay profile.

If Nadal somehow continues his dominance in New York and ties or breaks the all-time US Open men's singles title record, history will be extremely kind to the Spaniard and view him less as a one-dimensional clay monster and more as the nuanced all-surface phenom that he truly is.

The GOAT raced tightens

Nadal is seeking his 19th major title and that is absolutely massive in terms of the all-time major title race. Clearly, as long as the Spaniard has two legs to walk on he will be the favorite at Roland Garros, so if he is able to score a victory today in New York, the odds that he will end his career as the all-time major singles title leader go up significantly. No guarantees, of course, but they do go up.

Medvedev to make the most of it

Daniil Medvedev has only lost two matches on the North American hard courts this summer (winning 20). That’s an incredible performance for the Russian, but in one of those matches he won just three games against Nadal in the Rogers Cup final. Nevertheless, let’s be clear, the Medvedev of September is not the Medvedev of August. The confidence of Medvedev as a big-stage player only grows, and we shouldn’t expect the 23-year-old to get blown out of the water by Nadal on Sunday. It could happen—Nadal has made great players look ineffectual before—but Medvedev might be able to make a contest out of it.

Whether he wins or not, the Russian has done what so many other players have not managed to do of late. He has given himself multiple chances to face the toughtest tests in all of tennis. The final with Nadal in Montreal, the win over Djokovic and subsequent title in Cincinnati and now the run to the US Open final, where he'll face Nadal again. It's the perfect scenario from Medvedev, and he'll move ahead of many of his peers thanks to these experiences.

And, of course, there's always the possibility that he shocks the world and stops the Big Three major title streak at 11.

“I mean, anything's possible,” Medvedev said after knocking off Grigor Dimitrov in the semis. “You get the chance to be in the final, so you got to leave everything out there. I mean, of course, if he keeps going the same way, plays the same, I think absolutely he's got a major shot.”

Nadal ready to rumble

Nadal has kept his court time down in New York—something he failed to do last year when his third, fourth and quarterfinal round matches all lasted over three hours and ending up sabotaging his hopes against Del Potro in the semis. That is perhaps the most important characteristic of Nadal's run to the final in New York. He’s inched through six matches in 12:18 and done so without any massive difficulty, save for the cramping he encountered in his tricky quarterfinal with Diego Schwartzman.

“Before to play the final is not the moment to be super happy, no?” said Nadal. “Of course, finally when the tournament finish, if you lose, when you looking global perspective, okay. But now is a moment to enjoy today, but is a match in front on Sunday, an important one.

“I just focus on try to be 100 percent ready for it. But, of course, very, very happy for everything. Another final of the Grand Slam, and another final here in Flushing Meadows means a lot to me. So happy.”

 

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