The more compelling numbers, for the sake of all the arguments that addle the tennis corners of the Internet, would be the Grand Slam totals for Federer and Nadal. Into their 30s — now at 36 (Federer) and 31 (Nadal), the Swiss and Spaniard hogged the whole lot. While their improbable Australian Open final began the year, Nadal stood alone among the giants at the end, taking his third U.S. Open title, his first U.S. Open title since 2013 and his first hard-court title of any kind since January 2014 in Qatar. With the 6-foot-8 Anderson’s serve as his notorious matter, and with Nadal awaiting returns pretty much from Poughkeepsie, some early games proved thick. He had had a grand tournament in his 34th Grand Slam, but in the final, he had stood opposite a force still ferocious after all these years.

Source: Washington Post September 10, 2017 22:59 UTC