Nadal Shines at the US Open
Previous #1 tennis player Rafael Nadal will oppose Fernando Gonzalez in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open later today.
Following a number of issues that he might not be fully healed from a knee injury that left him sidelined for most of the summer, he has proven critics mistaken with some terrific play during the first four matches at the tournament.
Nadal’s tendinitis required him to miss Wimbledon earlier this summer, a tournament that he won in 2008. Unable to defend his title and having missed several other tournaments, Nadal lost his top world ranking to Roger Federer, who exploited Nadal’s absence with a victory at Wimbledon.
Nadal moreover lost the world’s number two ranking to Andy Murray, but reclaimed it with his 4th round win at the US Open earlier this week.
Nadal has seemed to be playing at near his top level in this event as he beat Frenchman Gael Monflis in four |sets in the fourth round, seeming as fast as ever on the court.
Gonzalez however beat another Frenchman, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the round of sixteen.
Gonzalez has emerged victorious against Nadal once before this, at the quarterfinals of the 2007 Aussie Open, however considering the way Nadal has been in the tournament, he must be incredibly confident about sealing a spot in the semifinals.
The Spaniard took fans of the sport by storm this past season when he won Wimbledon for the first time. Nadal built on that performance by capturing the gold medal at Beijing for singles. He went on to end the season as number one in the world for the first instance in his lifetime.
The U.S. Open is the only major championship absent from Nadal’s gleaming list of accomplishments, and if his current form is any indicator, it might take a courageous person to gamble versus Rafa winning in Flushing on Sunday.
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