It is possible that Rafa Nadal will win the US Open and then he will have 19 Grand Slam victories, just one behind Roger Federer. If it occurs, then many people will say Nadal is the best player ever.
But not quite, yet.
On Wednesday night, Nadal beat Diego Schwartzman in three tough sets, and he has yet to lose a set in Flushing Meadows in five matches. So clearly, he is the favorite.
But before you can bow down in front of the Spaniard, remember that at last year’s US Open, he had to retire in the third set against Juan Martin del Potro in the semis because he became injured. In the quarters, Nadal won, but he was forced to play Dominic Thiem in a very long, terrific contest. His legs were super sore and he had to wave goodbye.
This time, however, in the quarters against Schwartzman, there were some muscular points, but it was not so long for Nadal. On Friday, he will face the young Italian Matteo Berrettini, who upset Gael Monfils in five hard sets. Berrettini is playing much better now, with his hard forehand and his first serve, but if they play for more than four hours, the Italian could become exhausted.
As long as Nadal continues to be healthy and if he reaches the final, then he will be ready to throw in his fine serves and aim for the lines with his incredible forehand.
If Nadal prevails against Berrettini, there will be tremendous pressure on Nadal. It’s a pressure Nadal knows well and has conquered many time.
Dimitrov vs. Medevedev
On Friday, the now-spectacular Daniil Medvedev will face the fun veteran Grigor Dimitrov, who upset Roger Federer in five sets. The Russian Medvedev is on fire, and he is self-assured. He hustles, he waxes, and then when he has a chance, he leaps on it. Over the past year or so, Dimitrov wasn’t sure how to play. He had injuries (but almost everyone has to deal with them). When a player has top stop, they tend to be very worried. In 2017, the former No. 3 thought he would win a major. But in 2018, he fell hard. Month after month, Dimitrov couldn’t win hardly at all. In fact, this year going into the US Open, he was 12-15. That was mediocre at best. But in the past 10 days, the former ATP Finals winner rose up again, playing smarter.
Can he stop the 23-year-old Medvedev to reach the final? He could, but it will be very close both ways. I would think that Dimitrov will out-think him, but he also has to serve and return very well. If he takes a long breath, Dimitrov will win in an outlandish five sets.