“He never goes away,” rued Kevin Anderson. If the 6’8 South African was hoping to catch a break in his first Grand Slam final, he had picked out a wrong opponent. The relentless Rafael Nadal schooled him on how to finish points, matches and tournaments during the 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the US Open final on Sunday evening. They might be the same age, 31, but the difference in big-match experience and accomplishment was evident. Nadal was the top seed, Anderson the 28th. In their four previous meetings, Anderson had been able to take only one set from Nadal. And the yawning gap in class became increasingly evident as the match progressed. [caption id=“attachment_4030903” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Rafael Nadal reacts after beating Kevin Anderson in the final of the US Open. AP[/caption] With top players like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka missing in action due to an assortment of injury problems, Anderson rode his luck all the way to the final. Despite having recently recovered from a hip injury, Anderson had found his hitting zone and used his big serve and forehand to blow past opponents. He had lost only three sets en route the final. In the top half of the draw, Nadal looked more and more comfortable with the surface and the noisy surroundings of the Arthur Ashe Stadium with each round. He was tested by Argentine Leonardo Mayer in the third round and stretched to four sets. Nadal believes that getting out of that tight spot gave him the confidence to charge ahead. He changed things around against Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-final, shrugging off the first set loss to win the next three. And the Spaniard was in complete command of proceedings against Anderson, whom he has known since their junior days. One would have imagined that Anderson would rain down aces and service winners. And he did serve 11 aces, but Nadal steered way behind the baseline to cut down the angles and get in as many returns as possible. Instead, his much-improved serve this season targeted Anderson’s weaker wing — the backhand. Much of Nadal’s game hinges on his extraordinary defence, but he was not afraid to take the game to Anderson. Nadal dropped only four points on his serve in the first set, didn’t face a single break point in the match and was taken as far as deuce only when he was serving for the match at 5-4. A telling stat though was that he won 16 of 16 points on net approaches. The last of it came on match point, when Nadal served out wide to Anderson’s backhand, and came in to finish off the point with a forehand volley. On paper, it might have been one of the easiest runs to a Grand Slam for Nadal. He became the first player to win a title without facing a single top-25 player in his seven matches. “For me, personally, it’s unbelievable,” Nadal said after winning his 16th Grand Slam title. “After a couple of years with some injury problems, it has been very emotional since the beginning of the season. Since the Australian Open, I’ve been playing a very high level of tennis. Winning here in New York gives me great energy, because the crowd is unbelievable. They make me feel so happy.” As unbelievable as it is for Nadal, his win wound down a season of nostalgia for the tennis fans. He and Roger Federer had already given the year a blockbuster start with their incredible final at the Australian Open. But as it turns out, they hadn’t just rekindled their rivalry but also their fire to win more Majors. Like in the old days, they pushed and inspired each other. Even as Federer picked up the Australian Open and Wimbledon title, Nadal went on to reclaim his beloved French Open crown and a third US Open. They dominated the tennis scene like they had a decade ago; picking up five titles each so far this season. Nowhere was it more evident than when they were put in their domain: Nadal won the French Open without dropping a set and Federer replicated the feat at Wimbledon. Aged 36 (Federer) and 31, their bodies may be more prone to breaking down but they proved that, even now, when they are in full flight, they still soar high above their competitors. At Flushing Meadows, Nadal won half the battle by just showing up. He didn’t quite face the quality rivals he expected to, apart from del Potro, but to Nadal’s credit he never dropped his guard. Even when he didn’t start off hot — in the second round against Taro Daniel and third against Mayer — he brought his famed grit to the fore. It was Nadal’s first hard-court title in three years and will be the last Major with his uncle Toni Nadal, who will retire as his coach at the end of the season. “Of course the talent is so important, but when you have a good talent, the most important thing is that you have the passion to improve every day and not consider yourself that good to feel that you know about everything,” said Nadal, echoing the work ethic Uncle Toni has instilled in him since childhood. Injuries may have racked his body and sometimes robbed him of confidence, but he has found a way to fight on. He never goes away.