Spectators of the recent US Open saw a gentle side of top seed Rafael Nadal after his victory against Novak Djokovic.
On Monday night, Nadal emerged as the winner of the US Open after he fought a fierce battle with Djokovic. Nadal scored 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 over Djokovic.
When Nadal congratulated Djokovic on the field, the former rested his head briefly on the latter's shoulder in a show of kindness. The Spanish tennis player parted words of encouragement to the Serbian player. "You are an amazing player - you will finish your career as one of the best in history," Nadal said.
The tense game ended earlier than expected in both tennis players' standards at 3 hours and 21 minutes. This was Nadal's 13th Grand Slam tournament victory.
Nadal, who would be adding a USD2.6 million in prize money and USD1 million bonus to his bank account, ranked number 51 in Forbes news magazine's top 100 richest celebrities. In December of last year, he left his management agency IMG and formed a new one with his manager and his father. Nadal ventured into a sponsorship deal with Richard Mille and produced signature timepieces fetching USD500,000 to USD690,000 price tags. He is worth USD26.4 million in winnings, salary and endorsements.
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