18-year-old Rafael Nadal met the defending champion Andy Roddick at the 2004 US Open. The more experienced player ousted the youngster 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 36 minutes, delivering a bagel in the opener and sealing the deal in straight sets. Rafa struggled with his elbow, experiencing a couple of injuries in the previous couple of months and not playing at his best. Nadal introduced himself to the tennis world in 2003 and made a strong start in 2004, reaching his first ATP final in Auckland before scoring two Australian Open wins. Rafa stunned world no. 1 Roger Federer in straight sets in Miami, marching toward the top-30 before experiencing a left ankle injury against Richard Gasquet in Estoril. Nadal missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon and returned in July. After the quarter-final run in Bastad and Stuttgart, Rafa experienced early losses in Canada and Cincinnati and returned to Europe to enter a small ATP 250 event in Sopot on clay.
Rafael Nadal experienced a tough loss at the 2004 US Open.A teenager went all the way against rivals from outside the top-80 to lift his first ATP crown. Nadal became the youngest ATP champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 1998, taking well-deserved rest and making a return at the US Open. Rafa toppled the Swiss Ivo Heuberger in five sets in the first round. A teenager struggled in sets three and four before claiming the victory in the decider to set the clash against world no. 2 and the defending champion Andy Roddick. Despite serving at 82%, Nadal could do little with his initial shot. He gave serve away seven times, as his elbow prevented him from playing at his usual level at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Rafa admitted he felt more relaxed after experiencing a bagel in the opening set, fighting better in sets two and three but failing to prolong the duel.
"I did not feel like I could serve my best today; I had trouble with my elbow. Against someone like Roddick, it isn't easy without serving your best. I did not play at my best today, and you can not beat Andy Roddick without showing your A-game. After that opening set's bagel, I was less nervous in set number two. I was 30-0 in the encounter's first game before getting broken, which is never easy against such a great server. There's a difference between the rivals I had played in Sopot and Andy Roddick; there were good players but ranked outside the top-50. Also, I won that event on clay. After that injury from April, I played on a high level only two or three times, like in Stuttgart and Bastad," Rafael Nadal said.
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