NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal knows this won’t last forever. He’s well aware that the ruling triumvirate of Nadal/Federer/Djokovic will eventually be overthrown by a younger generation of stars. He said so himself.
“Sooner rather than later,” the 33-year-old said Friday, two days before facing 23-year-old Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final. “this era is gonna end. We’re arriving to that.”
A changing of the guard is inevitable. Father Time is undefeated. The clock wins in the end.
Rafael Nadal, however, just isn’t ready to let that happen. Not even close.
Nadal survived a five-setter against a remarkably resilient Medvedev, eventually winning the instant-classic 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 after 4 hours and 49 minutes of runs and comebacks, twists and turns, overhead smashes and drop shots, standing ovations and condescending jeers.