US Open—New York

Two match points stood between a potential historic encounter between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at this year's US Open. Never in the history of the game had the top two players in the world faced off for all four Major titles, and as it appears now, that mark may never be achieved.

While Nadal was bashing and crashing his way past a visibly spent Mikhail Youzhny, Federer was receiving a barrage of early-hit-backhands from a heart-driven Novak Djokovic.  All credit goes to Djokovic for eliminating the best player in New York over the past decade, but as we move toward Sunday's final, will the Serb have enough left in the tank to prevent Nadal from becoming the seventh man to hold all four Major titles?

Djokovic has proved that he can get through the testy moments of any match, and he'll need some early vigor if he's to get by the fresher Spaniard. Nadal will enter his first ever US Open final without the loss of the set, and to further analyze the the Spaniard's play, he's only lost his serve on two occasions throughout the fortnight.

The men's final is shaping up to be a horse race between two of the greatest movers in the game. However, with Djokovic having less than 24 hours to recover before another five set match, one hopes that he'll be able to run as efficiently against the raging Mallorcan.

With one last fight remaining on this year's Grand Slam plate, let's take a look at what needs to be done in order for a first time US Open winner to be crowned.

Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic

Nadal leads the pair's head-to-head series 14-7.

The talk of the tournament thus far has been Nadal's increased serve speed, but what has been left out of the conversation has been his deep return of serve, and his aggressive footwork. Improving on both the length of his returns, and the steps that he's taken between his shots, Nadal's first strike onslaught has allowed him to navigate into his first New York final.

Catching his opponent's shots immediately after the apex has been met, Nadal has taken away the recover time of the six men that he's defeated. Known for drifting deep behind the baseline in his previous trips to the Open, Nadal has turned his innate clay court skills into an effective hard court game plan. Hooking his forehand and remaining intense while he enters the net, Nadal has minimized his opponent's options by playing equally as well from the back and forecourt.

For Djokovic to crack Nadal's confidence on Sunday, he'll have to be recovered physically from his grueling win over Federer. Needing nearly four hours to advance, Djokovic will have less than a day to battle Nadal in another potential five set affair. Djokovic has proved, though, that he does have the ability to play with urgency and aggression when required. He was able to defeat Federer because he was willing to run all day, but that plan of attack won't work against Nadal.

Nadal is without question the most tenacious competitor in the sport, and he'll be more than willing to go toe-to-toe with Djokovic in a running contest. Nadal also hits a heavier ball, and he'll likely use the opening stages of the match to test the Serb's legs. Depending on what frame of mind Djokovic is in, he may decide to play defensively in order to gain some confidence, or step up his court positioning and sacrifice unforced errors for timely winners.

Djokovic does hold a better hard court backhand, and he'll have to engage in that shot in order to neutralize Nadal's slice serve out wide. Nadal has taken some of the stick off his serve since the earlier rounds, and it will be interesting to observe whether or not he'll gun it early, or decide to roll it in and work the points over.  Djokovic did benefit from playing looser against Federer, because of the hype surrounding a potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, but he'll certainly have a lot of pressure on his shoulders with a second Slam title on the horizon.

It's remarkable to think that everything has fallen into place for Nadal coming into this tournament: He's healthier than ever, he's serving better than ever, and he couldn't have tweaked his schedule any better to put himself in-line for his culminating Grand Slam title.

Djokovic will fight to the end—he's got nothing else to do on Monday—but one has to think that his marathon win over Federer will spill over into the earlier and latter stages of Sunday's contest.  At 24, we may be getting ready to witness one of the greatest players of all time begin his march toward Federer's all-time total. Nadal won't have the Swiss in his way this time around, but he does appear to have everything on deck to capture his first title in New York.

Look for some nervous moments by both players, but Nadal's easier journey to the finals should end up being the X-factor.

Champion: Nadal in four sets.