Rafael Nadal’s third US Open title win sparks ‘greatest ever’ Twitter debate

Rafael Nadal defeated South Africa’s world number 32 Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in an extremely one-sided US Open final during which he did not face a break point even once and gave away very few unforced errors.

Rafael Nadal also went on to describe the year 2017 as “one of the best of his career” on Sunday after winning a third US Open and 16th Grand Slam overall.

For Nadal, it was his fifth title of the year and 74th of his career while the $3.7 million (3.07 euros) winner’s prize boosted his earnings to a level just under $90 million.

The one-way traffic continued in the second set as Nadal broke for 4-2 off the back of three successive volleys.

Anderson even collected a time violation for his troubles as his efforts to compose himself failed horribly.

Rafael Nadal also created another unique accomplishment with this victory: only him, Pete Sampras and Ken Rosewall have managed the feat of winning Grand Slam titles in their teens, 20s and 30s.

The nature of his victory naturally got Twitter talking, with Mahesh Bhupathi claiming that the “greatest of all time” debate needs to be ‘put on hold for now’. Here are some of the best reactions.

Rafael Nadal will now likely aim to break Roger Federer’s record for most Grand Slam wins.