Rafael Nadal's Road To Greatness

This year is the best season for Rafael Nadal's young career. He may have won the French Open and Wimbledon back to back, but I believe that winning his first US Open title was the sweetest!

By winning the US Open, where he was top seed, he 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 by beating third seed Djokovic 64 57 64 62 in rain-delayed final to win his first title in New York City. He only dropped one set in seven matches en route to the final.Along with these, more milestones were achieved.

He also became the first player to win three straight Grand Slam tournaments in the same season since Rod Laver in 1969. He is the third Spaniard after Santana (1965) and Orantes (1975) to win US Open titles.Is the second player to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces at least twice, behind Wilander. Has a 107-1 record in Grand Slam play after winning the first set. "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. [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".



But wait, there's more!! Earlier this year, at the age of 23 years and 11 months, Nadal won a record-breaking 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title when he beat Federer 64 76(5) in Madrid final, watched by Queen Sofia of Spain. Nadal became the first player to win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court tournaments in the same year. "Well to be the first player to [win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments] is unbelievable," said Nadal. "I would never have dreamed that I would be able to do so. I'm very happy to have won here and it is especially important to have won in Madrid"…With 28 tour-level clay-court titles, Nadal moves into a tie for fifth place with Lendl and Nastase in the Open Era clay-court title leaders list...



So young, so many titles to bite and many more to come.

Photo Credits:
http://www.fanpix.net/picture-gallery/rafael-nadal-picture-16005939.htm