NEW YORK — This much is inarguable: Rafael Nadal is the GOTT — greatest of this time.
Whether he’s also the GOAT — greatest of all time — remains an open question. But he’s building a strong case for GOAT status as he pushes toward his third Grand Slam title of 2022, having missed a chance to sweep the four majors when a torn abdominal muscle forced him to withdraw before his Wimbledon semifinal.
Nadal reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, where he has won four of his 22 Grand Slam singles titles, with a 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 rout of Frenchman Richard Gasquet on Saturday. Gasquet, who is 0-18 against Nadal in tour-level matches and has lost 34 straight sets to him since a 2008 Masters Canada event, drew applause from sympathetic fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium when he took leads of 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 in the third set. Finally, Nadal decided he’d had enough and closed things out, preserving energy for his fourth-round match on Monday against No. 22 seed Frances Tiafoe.
