Nadal charms New York crowds before heading home

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal was still beaming  about winning the U.S. Open when he spent his final day in New  York  yesterday, posing for photographs and appearing on the  morning talkshow circuit, before heading back to Spain.

The world number one was taken on a whirlwind tour of  Manhattan yesterday, showing off his new trophy to screaming  fans in Times Square and on Fifth Avenue and being whisked  around the television studios, before preparing to fly back  home.

The 24-year-old was all smiles as he waved to the crowds  then spoke with media after celebrating his 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 win  over Novak Djokovic in Monday night’s rain-delayed final at  Flushing Meadows.

“Yeah, it’s unbelievable for me. It’s more than I ever  dreamed about, that I ever thought I can do,” he told Reuters.  “It’s just an amazing feeling and I’m very happy to have my  first U.S. Open in my hands now.”

Nadal was dressed casually in denim jeans and a navy blue  polo shirt and was looking remarkably fresh after managing just  a few hours sleep from the night before because of all his  media commitments after the final.

He said he had celebrated his victory by having a quiet  meal with his family, including his coach and uncle Toni, a  former international soccer player, who convinced him to focus  on tennis.

“It’s one of my frustrations when I was a kid,” Nadal said.  “I love the football, it was my passion. I would have loved to  play football, but it’s impossible to do everything.

“In football, I wasn’t really good, I was a really normal  player.”

Nadal had already won Wimbledon, the Australian Open and  French Open championships and by adding the one major title  that had eluded him, he became just the seventh man to complete  a career grand slam.

His achievement, at just 24, immediately reignited the  debate about who is the greatest player of all but Nadal,  wincing every time the subject is mentioned, remained reluctant  to talk about it. He has always maintained that Roger Federer, with a record  16 grand slam titles, is alone at the top of the mountain.  Nadal has nine grand slam titles.

Federer won the U.S. Open five times in a row from  2004-2008 and Nadal, who was once considered a clay-court  specialist, said he was happy just to win once on the  hardcourts at Flushing Meadows.

“I always saw this tournament as very far for me,” he  said.

“This tournament wasn’t the best … and that’s very  emotional for me.”