Rafael Nadal's 5 most memorable match wins at the US Open

#1 2019 Final: Beat Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4

2019 US Open final

Following the early exits of fellow pre-tournament favourites Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, Nadal started as an overwhelming favourite in his fifth US Open final, where he faced young Russian Daniil Medvedev.

The Spaniard had conceded just three games in his only previous meeting with Medvedev in the Coupe Rogers final in Montreal earlier in the season but it was Medvedev who made the first move in the final, breaking Nadal for a 2-1 lead after squandering a breakpoint in the Spaniard's opening game of the match.

Medvedev failed to consolidate the break and Nadal was back on serve at two games all. Nadal looked to seize the momentum in the eighth game but saw three break points come and go as Medvedev won a cat-and-mouse net exchange and then produced a backhand winner to hold serve. The Spaniard's pressure remained unrelenting though, and Medvedev cracked in the twelfth game to concede the opening set.

The Russian dug himself out of a 0-40 hole in the fourth game of the second set to hold serve but Nadal came good on his fifth break point to take a 4-2 lead. It was a lead the Spaniard would not relinquish as he took a commanding two-set lead.

In 138 previous editions of the tournament, only one player had recovered from a two-set deficit to win the final: Pancho Gonzalez against Ted Schroeder (16-18 2-6 6-1 6-2 6-4) in 1949.

Nadal moved to within three holds of a straight-set win when he broke Medvedev for a 3-2 lead in the third. But the Russian's response was prompt as he got back on serve in the next game.

Medvedev held for a 6-5 lead and a blistering forehand winner set up three consecutive set points for the Russian. Nadal saved the first with a serve-and-volley but was powerless to save the second as Medvedev reduced the arrears to two sets to one.

Daniil Medvedev

In a competitive fourth set, with Nadal serving to stay in it at 4-5, the Spaniard's forehand misfired to give Medvedev a set point which the Russian gleefully accepted with a brilliant backhand return winner.

For the first time in ten years, the Flushing Meadows final went the distance, as Medvedev became the first player after Federer (2008 Wimbledon) to recover from a two-set deficit against Nadal in a Major final and force a fifth set.

Medvedev rode his momentum to hold serve in the opening game of the fifth and had three break points in the next game, one of them on a Nadal second serve. But Nadal saved them all to avoid falling behind an early break in the decider. The Russian looked good for a 3-2 lead when he arrived at 40-0 on serve only for Nadal to get back to deuce and grab the break on his second opportunity.

Nadal promptly consolidated the break for a 4-2 lead and broke Medvedev for a second time in the set to take a 5-2 lead. The final had more twists though as Medvedev broke back for 3-5 and saved two championship points to hold for 4-5.

Serving for the championship for the second time, Nadal conceded the first point of the game and narrowly avoided falling behind 0-30 as Medvedev hesitated to go for a volley at the net.

Hindered by his failure to land enough first serves in the game, Nadal went down a breakpoint but Medvedev rued not converting the opportunity on the Spaniard's second serve. Two points later, Nadal collapsed to the ground in ecstasy following a Medvedev error, as the Spaniard joined fellow lefthander John McEnroe in winning a fourth title at the US Open.

Nadal improved to 3-3 in five-set Grand Slam finals (lost to Federer at 2007 Wimbledon, 2017 Australian Open, and to Djokovic at 2012 Australian Open) as Medvedev narrowly failed in his bid to become the 55th different player in the Open Era to hoist a Grand Slam trophy.