Rafael Nadal Wins, Heads To U.S. Open Final Against Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal is undefeated in 21 straight hardcourt matches, and, on Saturday, he cruised pass Richard Gasquet to enter the U.S. Open finals against Novak Djokovic.

Nadal handed his eight seed opponent a 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2 loss to reach his third final in four years.

The comeback is a welcomed one for Nadal, who missed the U.S. Open in 2012 because of knee injuries.

After the match, the world’s No. 2 tennis player said the victory was “Just Amazing… After what happened last year, to have the chance to play in the final on Monday is a dream for me. It has been two amazing weeks for me.”

Nadal was joined by Djokovic, who defeated ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. It took Novak four hours and nine minutes to defeat his opponent and reach his 12th Slam final.

The two men have a personal rivalry that is led 21-15 by Nadal. Meeting in yet another slam final will move the star tennis aces past John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl as the most-played matchup in the Open era.

The last time the men engaged in a tennis match was their five-set French Open semi-final and last month’s semi-finals in Montreal.

Speaking about his upcoming opponent, Nadal revealed:

“Novak is an amazing competitor. His results say it. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen… He’s a great champion. It will be a tough final for me but I hope to be ready for that.”

Since ending his seventh month knee rehabilitation stint, Nadal has won nine titles.

Are you excited to see Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic battle it out once more, this time with a U.S. Open title on the line?