The US Open 2023 is nearly 10 days away and the tournament is wide open once again when it comes to the men’s singles draw. Novak Djokovic is all set to return to New York City after 2 years, being one of the favourites to win the competition for the 4th time in his career. Should he do so, he will equal the number of titles won at Flushing Meadows by his biggest-ever rival, Rafael Nadal.
Rafael Nadal will be skipping this year’s US Open due to a hip injury that has kept him for virtually the entire 2023 season. Last year, the Spaniard lost to Frances Tiafoe in the Round of 16 despite being the top seed. However, the US Open seems to have got nostalgic when it comes to Nadal and Djokovic and as a result, on their YouTube page, they recently came out with a video of the duo’s best-ever points played in the tournament.
Throwback to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s rivalry at the US Open
While Novak Djokovic has been the epitome of playing the perfect game on hard courts, it was actually Rafael Nadal who won the US Open before the Serbian did. Nadal had beaten Djokovic in the 2010 final, while the Serbian turned the tables around to easily get past the Spanish champion in the 2011 final. The duo also played against each other in the 2013 final, with Nadal winning that match to get back the World No.1 ranking soon after.
In the 2013 match, the duo played a memorable 54-shot rally which involved powerful baseline hitting that was perhaps never seen before. Djokovic won that rally and the point naturally made it to the video. There were 4 points involved between the two that are in the highlights reel.
One of the points from the Serbian’s 2018 winning campaign was also shown. On the other hand, the famous point involving Rafael Nadal reaching out for a forehand to play it around the net against Marin Cilic in their 2019 Round of 16 match also made it. Nadal won the 2019 edition of the US Open, after also clinching the 2017 title.
Roger Federer also features in 7 points in the video
Besides Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the US Open also showcased some of the best points played by Roger Federer. Federer is considered to be the OG of the tournament in this generation, winning the tournament for 5 back-to-back years in the 2000s.
Federer got the better of Djokovic in the 2008 and 2009 semifinals respectively and points from those two matches were shown, one of which was won by the Swiss maestro. Although he lost the final of 2009 to Juan Martin del Potro, Roger Federer won an impressive point against him out of nowhere in what was a fine display of court coverage and running speed.
Fans could go back in time as Roger Federer played in the US Open since the early 2000s, winning points and matches against the likes of former British World No.1, Tim Henman.
