Photo: REX USA/Juergen Hasenkopf/Rex.
Last night in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, Rafael Nadal took home his second US Open and thirteenth Grand Slam title against Novak Djokovic. It was only the latest chapter in the ongoing rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic, who bested the Majorcan champ at the Open last year, before losing out the Grand Slam to Andy Murray. In 2011, however, the Serbian top-ranked player handed Nadal a victory.
The pair have reached the upper limits of match length before, at the 2012 Australian Open, playing for nearly six hours. Monday's match, however, ended at about three-and-a-half, with Nadal beating Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Nadal's 26-year-old rival is ranked number one in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals, while Nadal was once seen as a long-shot for a place in among the sport's top players. But his performance has sports commentators constantly tracking his continued upward trajectory, as Nadal blasts his way into the territory of tennis' all-time greats.
Only Roger Federer and Pete Sampras lead Nadal in number of Grand Slam titles, with 17 and 14 respectively. But perhaps even more impressive is Nadal's undefeated 22-win streak this season. And that $3.6 million in US Open prize money? Nothing to sneeze at, either. (CBS Sports)