Nadal wins US Open
September 10, 2013
Rafael Nadal, ranked number two in professional tennis, dropped to his knees and wept on court on Monday after defeating Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a lung-busting final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The victory in just under three and a half hours marked the 13 Grand Slam title for the Spaniard. That moves him into third on the men's tennis trophy list behind Roger Federer's 17 and Pete Sampras' 14.
It also caps a year which has seen him win 10 titles, stretching his season winning record to 60 victories and just three losses. He nevertheless remains behind Djokovic in the world rankings.
Nadal and Djokovic have gone head-to-head a total of 37 times - the most between two men in the Open era. Monday's match was their third US Open final in four years. Nadal beat Djokovic in 2010, and Djokovic won their rematch a year later.
Nadal was forced to miss the tournament due to a knee injury.
He earned a total of $3.6 million (2.7 million euros) for Monday's victory, bringing his career earnings to over $60 million.
ccp / ch (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)