If Rafael Nadal is to win his third US Open here on Sunday afternoon – which seems likely after his merciless crushing of Juan Martín del Potro – he will have to nullify the awesome serve of Kevin Anderson, the South African appearing in his first slam final at the 34th attempt.
The Spaniard has been to this stage of tournaments 108 times previously, 22 of them in majors, in his trophy-heavy career. It is where he has played the overwhelming majority of his best tennis, in big-stage showdowns with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Only rarely does he falter near the end of a slam fortnight; indeed, his win over Del Potro on Friday night was his 15th in a row in a slam semi. The locker-room mantra has always been, if you are going to get him, get him early. It may be that Anderson is getting him too late, in every sense.
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