As the most difficult season of Rafael Nadal’s career turned into the homestretch on Monday night at the US Open, many among the Spaniard’s manifold followers had reason to fear the worst. Not only had the 14-times grand slam champion entered as the No8 seed – the first time he’s been seeded outside the top three at Flushing Meadows since George W Bush’s first term – but he had drawn for his first-round opponent Borna Ćorić, the Croatian teenager presently soaring up the rankings who had beaten Nadal in their only previous meeting last fall.
By the time Nadal uncorked a 110mph service winner down the middle on match point at 11.43pm and throttled his fist to the New York sky, the sense of relief from the Spaniard was as palpable as the humidity that had kept the grounds a sweatbox long after sundown. The 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over one of the tour’s young lions will no doubt bolster a confidence that for the past year has been shaken to its foundation.
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