Flashback: Rafael Nadal win the US Open for the first time and complete the Career Grand Slam at 24

Chasing his first U.S. Open championship, Rafael Nadal was so dominant, so determined, so defiant, his face curling into a sneer with every wallop of the ball. Owner of a career Grand Slam at age 24, champion at three consecutive major tournaments and nine overall, the No. 1-ranked Nadal is suddenly chasing something else: recognition as the greatest tennis player in history. Approaching perfection for stretches -- the guy played more than 40 points in a row without making an unforced error -- Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in a match filled with fantastic shotmaking by both men and interrupted by a thunderstorm a day after it was postponed by rain. “For the first time in my career, I played a very, very good match in this tournament,“ said Nadal. “That’s my feeling, no? I played my best match in the U.S. Open at the most important moment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------