We didn't get Nadal-Federer, but we got Rafa at his best

Rafael Nadal / In celebration of his 16th Grand Slam title.

The U.S. Open fortnight ended Sunday with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal standing alone basking in the glory as the 2017 men's singles champion.

In front of a packed house inside Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof open on a lovely and sunny late-summer afternoon, Nadal taught a master class in front of more than 22,000 fans with the 28th-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa as his chief pupil. That the Spaniard won convincingly, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, to win his third U.S. Open title and the 16th Grand Slam singles crown in what continues to be a truly remarkable career, wasn't surprising to most of us. Surprising was Sloane Stephens winning the women's singles title a day earlier over Madison Keys in their highly anticipated all American final.

By winning the men's title, the top-seeded Nadal became one of only six players during the Open Era (since 1968) to win at least three U.S. Open men's singles championships. He joined the elite company of Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors, who have five each; John McEnroe, who has four; and Ivan Lendl, who has three.

Now, after securing Grand Slam No. 16, Nadal's first title in a hard court tournament since winning at Doha, Qatar, in January 2014 – which moved him to within three of Federer's 19 career Grand Slam titles – it's only natural to ask: How many more Grand Slams can Nadal win? I don't have an answer and I'm not sure Nadal does, either. Only time will tell, but it's certain that as long as he remains healthy and can compete, Nadal has the drive and the determination to keep fighting. And, it's only natural to reopen the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate that happens every time either Nadal or Federer adds another title to their respective Grand Slam portfolios.

Following a couple of forgettable years in 2015 and 2016, Nadal has rebounded extraordinarily well, winning five titles and achieving a 56-9 win-loss record – plus, he captured two Grand Slams out of four in 2017 (Roland Garros and the U.S. Open) with the others going to his 36-year-old rival Federer (Australian Open and Wimbledon). And, it should be recognized, Nadal continues to bring so many excellent qualities to tennis's biggest stages. He represents his sport so very well, both inside and outside the lines.

Looking back, while Nadal and Anderson, both 31, arrived at Sunday's U.S. Open final by taking different paths – you accept the way the draw plays itself out – each represented the spirit of true grit and determination. They played and won one match at a time. For Nadal, he expected to be there, chasing after his third U.S. Open men's singles title in his 23rd Grand Slam final. Although he lost a few sets along the way during the earlier rounds – all long since forgotten – he passed all of his tests. Meanwhile, Anderson, who is one of the nicest guys on the men's professional tour, was the lowest-seeded man at No. 28 ever to reach the U.S. Open final, and ranked No. 32, also the lowest-ranked man to make the final since the ATP began its system of computer rankings in 1973 – long before either finalist was born. Definitely, these statistical odds presented a tough challenge for the South African to overcome during his fifth career head-to-head meeting against Nadal.

As they readied to go on court, in their respective pre-match interviews, Nadal described Anderson as "a tough opponent I need to be ready for." Anderson countered by saying: "If you let him control the court, it's going to be very difficult."

As it happened, Anderson was correct in his assessment. Nadal did control the court throughout the duration of their two hour and 27 minute match that started under comfortable conditions with a 73ºF (22.8ºC) temperature and little wind. The first six games of the opening set were characterized by many long rallies that stretched into some very long games. Anderson played 13 deuces during his first four service games alone. However, the pressure continued mounting against him, and on the fifth break-point opportunity, Nadal broke the South African to push ahead 4-3. Then, after a quick hold, he broke again with a nifty drop volley to win the set in 58 minutes.

Although Anderson hit 10 more winners than Nadal did, he committed 15 more unforced errors than Rafa. As Sports Illustrated executive editor and Tennis Channel analyst Jon Wertheim tweeted, "Rafa at his Rafa-est, takes first set. ..." And, in doing so, it was widely noted that Nadal had won 23 straight Grand Slam matches when winning the first set – including 12-1 in major finals. This telling statistic proved to be a pretty good portend of things to come his way.

As Anderson sat down during the change over following the completion of the first set, he was observed re-griping his racquet. It was time for him to reset, too. The mental and physical pressure Nadal applied to him – stroke after stroke – had become painfully evident to everyone watching, both in Ashe and worldwide via television.

Early in the second set, Anderson held for 1-1, his first hold without being taken to deuce. Soon, though, Nadal owned a two-sets-to-zero lead as he won the second set by an identical 6-3 score in just 39 minutes this time. Though his first nine services games, Nadal had lost just seven points – seven! By then, it seemed a matter of time before the King of Clay would be anointed Hero of the Hard Courts. Time for ESPN to cue up Uncle Toni Nadal, Rafa's uncle and longtime coach, for one last Grand Slam interview from Rafa's box. "I'm feeling very good, very happy since it's my last time here," said a cheerful Uncle Toni.

Soon enough, the match would be over without any surprises at the end. When it was, in looking back at the final match statistics, there were some very telling results: Nadal never faced a break point; Anderson, who fired the most service aces during the U.S. Open, was held to just 10; Rafa won 84% (38 of 45) of his first-serve points. Additionally, he broke Anderson four times, hit 30 winners while committing just 11 unforced errors, and was a perfect 16-for-16 in net points won. He outpointed Anderson 102-78. It was a dominating performance.

During the trophy presentation in the on-court, post-match interview, Anderson handled his defeat very graciously. He said all the right things, and did so in a sincere tone of voice. There was nothing phony. "I congratulate Rafa," said Anderson. Turning to him, he said, "You are the greatest ambassador to our sport." He really meant what he said.

Before 2017, Anderson had never advanced beyond the third round in the U.S. Open. But, he rebounded nicely from a hip injury that caused him to miss the Australian Open and saw his world ranking tumble into the eighties. In other Grand Slams before the U.S. Open, he reached the Round of 16 at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. With Anderson's confidence not to mention his ranking on the rise this summer, reaching the final at the U.S. Open represented his second hard court final to go along with one earlier this summer at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. In the second week lead up to Sunday, he beat unseeded Paolo Lorenzi in the Round of 16, No. 17 seed Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals and No 12 seed Pablo Carreño Busta in the semifinals. All went four sets. He gained confidence with each new victory. Then, it all came crashing down against Nadal. Truth be told, however I'm not sure anyone could have beaten Nadal on Sunday.

Anderson told ESPN's Chris McKendry during the on-court interview that he looks forward to coming back next year, building upon this season's achievements. "I can take away a lot of positives. It was a tough match today against a pretty good opponent, but I'm pleased how everything turned out these two weeks," he said.

Rafael Nadal clutches his third U.S. Open
championship trophy on Sunday.

Then, it was Nadal's turn to step forward and receive both his winner's trophy and prize money, and to address the appreciative crowd celebrating his latest glory in this, the 20th anniversary of the opening of Arthur Ashe Stadium. He said, "It's very special to win. I say congrats to Kevin. You came back better than every from your injuries."

Nadal called 2017 an "unbelievable year." He said, "Winning here is one of the events that brings me high energy. It makes me very happy." Then, McKendry asked Nadal what lesson he would take away from being coached for so many years by his Uncle Toni. "I can't thank him enough for all the things he did for me. He pushed me all the time and motivated me. He's the most important person in my life," said Rafa.

Finally, Nadal was given the opportunity to address his fans in his native Spanish language. He kept it simple, but showed much sincerity. Smiling to the crowd, he said, "Gracias todo el mundo!" Translated, it means "Thank you world!" That kind of says it all, doesn't it?

Looking back, Wertheim summed up the feelings of many, including yours truly, when he tweeted, "We didn't get Federer-Nadal at the U.S. Open, but if Rafa at his best – healthy, awash in confidence – is the consolation prize, sign us up."

Photos: Courtesy of Google images.