If there’s one Grand Slam tournament that tennis fans most associate with Rafael Nadal, it’s Roland Garros. And understandably so. After all, of the 15 major titles the Spaniard has won in his decade and a half on the pro tour, 10 (as in La Decima) have come on crushed brick in the outskirts of Paris.
But Nadal has had plenty of success in Flushing Meadows, too, having won titles in 2010 and 2013 and reaching the final in 2011. He’s advanced to the semis or better on six occasions now, including his upcoming matchup with Fed-slayer Juan Martin del Potro.
With the world No. 1 chasing his 16th Slam crown, USOpen.org looks back at some of the memorable moments from Nadal’s career at the year-end Slam:
2003: At just 17, Nadal wins his first main-draw match at the US Open, defeating fellow Spaniard Fernando Vicente, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, in two hours, 13 minutes.
2004: For many New Yorkers, their introduction to Rafael Nadal came in the summer of 2004. The highly touted Spaniard, then just 18, made his Arthur Ashe Stadium debut in the second round. His opponent was none other than defending men's champion Andy Roddick. In essence, the 23,000-seat epicenter of American tennis was A-Rod’s house. And he wasn’t having any of the muscle-bound Mallorcan in the sleeveless saffron T, fist-pumping on his home turf. Roddick would bagel the newcomer in the opening set en route to a 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 demolition.
2010: Once labeled a one-Slam wonder, the supposed King of Clay proves that he can bring his best on any court, becoming just the seventh man to complete a career Grand Slam and the first to do so with a U.S. singles title since Rocket Rod Laver in 1962. Nadal defeated No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic in the final, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
2011: Following a straight-sets dismissal of Argentine David Nalbandian in the third round, Nadal sat in Interview Room 1 inside the depths of Arthur Ashe Stadium. What initially began as a run-of-the-mill post-match presser soon became hard to watch. Out of the blue, the Spaniard grimaced in pain and sank down in his chair, seemingly unable to speak. The room went silent as the world No. 2 grabbed at his right leg and concerned officials gathered around him. He would disappear to the floor for several minutes, where he received treatment. The gathered media feared something might be horribly wrong, but in the end, it was merely a leg cramp, albeit an extremely painful one.
2011: Nadal scores a 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 triumph over oft-foe Andy Murray to reach his second straight final in Flushing Meadows. “For sure, it’s an emotional day for me, winning against one of the best players of the world and being in another final at the US Open,” said Nadal, who avenged his loss to the Brit in the 2008 semis.
2011: On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the Spaniard took a moment to reflect on that horrific day. “What I remember from that moment is probably,” said Nadal, pausing to find the right word, “unforgettable. That was really fresh for me at that moment because I have been there, in the top of the Twin Towers, four months before. I went here for holidays with my family. So I really didn’t believe what’s happened. That’s a hard day for all the people here in New York, all the people in America. But I think for all the people around the world, too, no? Because this kind of tragedy for everybody is hard to accept, hard to understand. I am not an exception. I felt much pain, and I suffered, too.” Nadal, who was just 15 and playing in a tournament in Madrid on Sept. 11, 2001, added, “You can have silence in memory of them, but the pain is done. It’s difficult to accept.”
2013: En route to a 75-7 finish and the year-end No. 1, Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in a rematch of the 2010 final, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, for his second US Open title. He improved to an unblemished 22-0 on hard courts for the year.
2017: For the first time since 2010, Nadal, 31, arrived in Flushing Meadows as the tournament’s top seed.The other men in the Open era to be seeded No. 1 at least three times are current or future Hall of Famers Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
2017: Nadal defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov in the fourth round to earn his 50th career victory in Flushing Meadows, a mark among active players matched only by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
