What do I say? A sprinkling of break points escaped him early in the deciding set, and then a floating ball that he elected not to volley in the final game. There, we saw 12 commanding holds, just like in the opener, with Rublev doing his best to stay in touch and reach the tie break after creating no break chances throughout the encounter.They traded early mini-breaks and Andrey came back from 5-3 down, only to drop a point on serve at 5-6 to propel a compatriot into the semis.Novak Djokovic: 'Dominic Thiem deserves Major title but Federer, Nadal and I will..',Novak Djokovic: 'Rafael Nadal has only lost two matches there and...',Serena Williams: “I’m back to work and I’m doing everything I can to be the best...”,Novak Djokovic: 'Rafael Nadal is the favorite but Dominic Thiem and I will try to..','It's not the best tournament to beat Rafael Nadal', says Top 20,Novak Djokovic: 'Roger Federer is the ultimate champion, regardless of his age',Rafael Nadal: 'I would love to finish career on 25 Majors, but that's unlikely..'. "An amazing final. Medvedev nearly became the first man to win a US Open final from two sets down since 1949, when Pancho Gonzales defeated Ted Schroeder at what was then called the U.S. Nationals. he said, referencing Nadal's video tribute.He won over the fans Sunday, during a fortnight where he was previously cast as a villain.The final wasn't without controversy but it had nothing to do with Medvedev, as Nadal was docked first serves twice by chair umpire Ali Nili in the fifth set for taking too long to serve.The mostly pro-Nadal crowd of 24,000 seemed to disapprove and Nili was booed during the trophy presentation. I am sure you will have many more chances to win here. Medvedev started the 2018 season by qualifying for the Sydney International. He now has a two-game advantage.With the pressure back on to Medvedev the Spaniard digs deep into his bag of tricks and summons his trusty backhand slice forcing Medvedev to hit into the net. The way you are playing is a joke. Nadal was 15-1 in grand slam finals when he won the first set, and that trend held, barely.The lanky, 6-foot-6 Medvedev is a gifted counterpuncher with a massive serve, when it's on. "One of the most emotional nights of my tennis career. There were moments when a chant of “Med-ve-dev” rang around this enormous arena.The match got off to an intriguing start when Nadal received a warning for slow play in the very first game. "Rafa fought his best, because he could just say, 'Okay, it's over' at 5-1 and just give me the point but we all know Rafa is not about this," Medvedev told reporters.Nadal's hopes of advancing to the semifinals seemed to be hanging by a thread when Medvedev surged early in the decider but now if he downs Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday and Zverev loses to Medvedev, the 19-time grand slam winner advances to the last four.Rafael Nadal saved a match point to beat Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals on Wednesday in London.Of the trio of 'Next Gen' stars in Group Andre Agassi, Greece's Tsitsipas booked his spot in the semifinals first by cruising past Germany's Zverev 6-3 6-2 later Wednesday in the night session. Step forward Daniil Medvedev.Once heralded as one of the more impressive of the much-heralded  NextGen (slick marketing-speak for the group of young guns born in the mid-1990s), the 6ft 6in Russian stormed back to form this summer when he reached the finals of Washington and Montreal before landing his first ATP Masters title in Cincinnati.Nadal's presence in the Flushing Meadows face-off has not only been more predictable but also more stress free. Nadal making Medvedev wait throughout while the 23-year-old served is sure to be debated, too.In truth, though, it came nowhere close to the.Nadal was creaking entering the fifth set, but in one of the two key games of the fifth, saved three break chances at 0-1. The way that he was able to fight, to change the rhythm of the match was just incredible. He isn't able to make it count, though, Medvedev shows so much heart to get it to deuce. Rafael Nadal beat first-time grand slam finalist Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller at the US Open to win his 19th major Sunday. This was tennis at its most attacking and exciting.Nadal is in tears, he was taken to the brink tonight and fully deserved his victory, though both players need to take a bow.Great, era-defining stuff at Flushing Meadows. "I really hope that I can play better." This is brilliant from the 23 year old.This is attritional stuff, but never anything less than compelling and pulsating.That looked more like the dominant Nadal of the first two sets.Nadal then produces two great shots, the second a wonderful backhand down the line to get to advantage and he is able to claim the game with an ace.Momentum is still with the Russian but that hold will doubtless give Nadal some much-needed confidence.Nadal looked a little bit lost out there as Medvedev made it 40-0. Andrey held in the first game after a lengthy rally of more than 30 strokes, with Medvedev getting his name on the scoreboard with a service winner in game two.Medvedev held in game ten for a 5-5 and returned from 0-40 in the 11th for the first deuce on the return. The Russian has withdrawn from the event in the Italian capital, hoping to go all the way this weekend in New York and win the first Major crown.In the previous two years, Daniil had struggled to notch a victory in Rome, having to wait until 2021 to change that. I will remember every moment of it. ATP & WTA Rafael Nadal head to head tennis search. "In that moment, you play with not much pressure because you almost lost. Updated 2152 GMT (0552 HKT) November 13, 2019.Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. ".Medvedev hung in there, overcoming losing a 28-shot rally and saving two break points for 5-4. He later took the time to send his condolences to former tour player Karim Alami, whose son died recently.Medvedev certainly fared better than when he met Nadal in Montreal, claiming a mere three games.Despite the tough loss, he showed a sense of humor during his speech. Nadal, meanwhile, even if he doesn't win the Australian Open in January, looks certain to bag at least one more French Open title. He collapsed to the court in joy.On paper, Nadal has endured tougher paths to grand slam glory -- Medvedev was the first top-20 player he encountered during the fortnight and he didn't have to deal with the injured pair of Federer and top-ranked Novak Djokovic -- but as the saying goes, you can only beat who is in front of you.There is surely more to come from Medvedev, who joined Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl as the lone men's players in the Open Era to reach finals in Washington, Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open in the same season. I have a really good memory if we talk about tennis. He's now only one major behind men's leader Roger Federer. It is very tough to play against you. The next point is another humdinger, it takes two to make rallies like that. Medvedev battled his way to the final after dealing with cramps, shoulder, abductor and quadriceps issues, not to mention battling the raucous crowd at Flushing Meadows.His middle-finger salute to them, trolling them in an interview and dancing his way to the net following a fourth-round win won't be forgotten. Daniil Sergeyevich Medvedev was born on 11 February 1996 in,Medvedev studied applied economics and commerce at the.Medvedev married his girlfriend in Moscow on 12 September 2018.Medvedev made his ATP main draw debut at the,As a qualifier, Medvedev made his ATP singles main draw debut at the,Medvedev was disqualified from the second round of the,In January 2017, Medvedev reached his first ATP singles final. Last year, Medvedev made his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open, in which he recovered from two sets down before Rafael Nadal won the fifth set to claim the title. For a stretch, it felt as if Medvedev simply could not miss, and he finished with a 75-62 edge in winners.That's the sort of ball-striking Medvedev displayed while going 20-2 during the North American hard-court circuit until Sunday, reaching four finals in a row. Medvedev even held a break chance in the last game, though Nadal ended by claiming the last three points.It meant Nadal has still only lost one grand slam match when leading by two sets -- at the US Open in 2015 versus Fabio Fognini.While Medvedev and Andreescu's careers are in their infancy, the 33-year-old Nadal has been going for years.But given all the injuries he has suffered, questions were raised about whether the Spaniard would be able to compete for this long.Another more recent question has been: Will Nadal catch Federer in the grand slam stakes?That is looking increasingly likely, as he trails the Swiss now by only one.At 38, who knows how many more grand slam titles Federer will amass. "It's been one of the most emotional nights of my tennis career," said Nadal, who wept in his chair when a recap of his 19 majors was shown on the big screen at Arthur Ashe Stadium. But the intent proved he was thinking.Overall he hit 75 winners and 57 unforced errors, to Nadal's 62 and 46. ",More AP Tennis: https://www.apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports,Like us on Facebook to see similar stories,Campus outbreak brings uncertainty to San Diego's reopening.Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.19 Slams: Nadal stops Medvedev comeback bid to win US Open.Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. NEW YORK (AP) -- Rafael Nadal's 19th Grand Slam trophy went from inevitable to suddenly in doubt in a thrill-a-minute U.S. Open final.What had all the makings of a crowning morphed into a grueling contest thanks to Nadal's opponent, Daniil Medvedev, a man a decade younger and appearing in his first major title match. Nadal* 7-5, 6-3, 3-2 Medvedev (*next server) - Nadal breaks O nce again Nadal's forehands comes to the fore, a line drive giving Medvedev no chance to make it 30-30. He reached the final which he won against Alex de Minaur. Find out more,The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. "At the beginning of the fifth, I cannot lose my serve," said Nadal. Wow.Nadal holds his nerve and it's the Russian who gets tight with his groundstrokes as the Spaniard gets it back to deuce. In a fabulous four, Nadal is the 2019 US Open men’s champion. After breaking to lead 3-2 in the fifth, in a game Medvedev led 40-love before flubbing an easy forehand, Nadal broke again and served for the championship at 5-2.The way this back-and-forth tale was spun, though, it probably was inevitable that Medvedev would break there. Medvedev entered the 2019 US Open as the world number 5 and one of the leading contenders to end the dominant streak of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer at Grand Slam tournaments. Bolstered, Medvedev blasted his way to the set. The Stadium's power went down and we missed a couple of points, as Andrey held to move 6-5 up. Nadal holds serve after yet another breathtaking rally sees both men display nerves of steel and composure to force each other wide numerous times before the Spaniard hits a backhand winner crosscourt. In the final at the,In June, he made it to the quarterfinals of the,Medvedev would register his maiden Grand Slam match win at the,Medvedev later reached the quarterfinals of the,In August, Medvedev won his second ATP title at the,In October, he continued his good form, reaching the.Medvedev finished 2018 with the most hard court match wins of any player on the ATP Tour (38 wins). He also had the most titles on hard court tournaments (3 titles), tying with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov.Following his victory over Nishikori, Medvedev experienced a five match losing streak, including an opening round defeat at the,The North American hard-court swing proved to be another turning point in Medevdev's career, as he reached four tournament finals (in.Medvedev entered the 2019 US Open as the world number 5 and one of the leading contenders to end the dominant streak of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer at Grand Slam tournaments.Medvedev followed up his success in North America with his maiden title on Russian soil at the,His best shot from the baseline is his backhand, which he hits with depth, pace and precision, and he is able to redirect this shot down the line for winners. The Russian makes no mistake with the opportunity and has finally broken to give himself a glimmer of hope.The Russian has it all to do now and it is hard to see Nadal losing this.It was brilliant tennis by Medvedev, there were times when the Russian was on top of another long rally, but Nadal quickly turns defence into attack with a bludgeoned forehand followed up with a delicate volleyed winner. Another, two points later, gives him service point and a wide backhand means Nadal will have to serve for the title.There was still one twist left in the tale, as Medvedev forces Nadal to hit wide and a double fault allows the Russian to break.Then, just as you thought it couldn't get better they reach new highs. I am just emotional.“I have to say to Daniil [who was playing his fourth straight final] that his summer is one of the best summers I have ever seen in the sport since I started playing,” Nadal added. Had Nadal lost all three of his round-robin matches, Djokovic would have only needed to make the final.Djokovic's task became more difficult on Tuesday after his reverse to monstrous hitting Dominic Thiem in another affair that featured a third-set tiebreak to bring the tournament to life.To reach the last four from Group Bjorn Borg, Djokovic must now beat Roger Federer on Thursday evening.The meeting comes after Djokovic saved two match points in July's Wimbledon final against the Swiss, to the dismay of the majority on Centre Court that day. Only once before had Nadal lost a Grand Slam match after taking the opening two sets.At the very end -- or what appeared to be the very end -- Nadal couldn't close it out. This time he makes them count, a forehand from Medvedev hitting the net to give the Spaniard the first break of the set.Nadal's serve has always been underestimated and its the weapon that's giving him a huge advantage tonight.The Russian, as he has done all night, will not lie down though, winning the next two points with a mixture of determination, composure and a strong forehand. Medvedev Wins First Title",2018 in review: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer lead hard-court charts,"Nishikori Ends Title Drought In Brisbane","Australian Open: Novak Djokovic confident over fitness after beating Daniil Medvedev","Medvedev Beats Tsitsipas For Second Top 10 Win, Monte-Carlo Quarter-final Spot","Medvedev Upsets Djokovic In Monte-Carlo","Lajovic Beats Medvedev, Reaches Maiden Masters 1000 Final","Medvedev Rallies To Stun Nishikori In Thriller, Reach Barcelona Final","Thiem Sprints Past Medvedev To Clinch Barcelona Title",Daniil's Day: Medvedev Reaches First Grand Slam Final At The US Open,"Daniil's Day: Medvedev Claims Maiden Masters Crown","US Open betting preview: Mercurial Daniil Medvedev 13/1 to smash New York Cartel","Medvedev overcomes cramps to reach U.S. Open third round","Daniil Medvedev fights the boos to send out a defiant message at the US Open","US Open 2019: Daniil Medvedev fined for unsportsmanlike conduct","Medvedev Makes First Slam QF At US Open",Российские теннисисты не играли полуфиналах ТБШ с US Open 2010,Медведев – первый россиянин за 10 лет, пробившийся на Итоговый турнир ATP,"Daniil's Day: Medvedev Reaches First Grand Slam Final At The US Open","Rafael Nadal defeats Daniil Medvedev to claim fourth US Open title","Medvedev wins St. Petersburg Open to stay hot","London-Bound Medvedev Continues Tear With Another Title","Medvedev Masters Shanghai, Beats Zverev For Title",Medvedev Extends Finals Streak In Shanghai,"Medvedev Extends Final Streak In Shanghai","Daniil Medvedev edges past Alexander Zverev to win 3rd title in 6th final in a row","Djokovic Outlasts Medvedev, Pushes Serbia Into ATP Cup Final","Not Fed, Rafa, or Djoker: Is Daniil Medvedev the best player in the world right now?