Nadal-Djokovic men’s final delayed at U.S. Open

Reporting from New York — 

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If you wanted to see Rafael Nadal play Roger Federer in the U.S. Open men’s final this year, you’re not.

If you wanted to see the men’s final between Nadal and Novak Djokovic on Sunday, you didn’t.

Blame Jack Sock for the first part and rain for the second.

For the third straight year, the men’s final will be played on a Monday. The match between the top-seeded Nadal and third-seeded Djokovic will begin, weather permitting, at 1 p.m. PDT on Monday.

Sunday’s match was called after a light rain that began early Sunday afternoon was still falling at 3:15 PDT and without any optimistic expectations for a break.

The postponed final still will be televised by CBS.

A match that was completed Sunday was the junior men’s final and it was won by Sock, a kid from Nebraska who is partial to the Cornhuskers and backward baseball caps and who can’t decide whether to go to college or the ATP Tour.

On Saturday, before Djokovic swarmed over Federer with an unexpected bundle of fifth-set dramatic winning groundstrokes, he was warmed up by the 17-year-old Sock.

Sunday, Sock used his skills for his own good.

In the first all-American junior men’s final since Andy Roddick beat Robby Ginepri, Sock beat Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

If that was a bright spot for the future of U.S. tennis, what has happened over the weekend has not been as wonderful.

Saturday’s women’s prime-time final was a 59-minute demolishment of Vera Zvonareva by Kim Clijsters. After high expectations that there might be a dramatic men’s final between 16-time Grand Slam winner Federer and his biggest and best challenger, Nadal, Djokovic spoiled the party with his dramatic upset of Federer.

And a Monday final guarantees lower television ratings and less exposure.

Since 1978, when the Open moved to the United States National Tennis Center, the two worst-rated men’s finals on CBS were 2008’s Monday finish between Federer and Andy Murray, which had a 1.7 rating, and last year’s Monday final between Federer and Juan Martin del Potro, which had a 2.3 rating.

After his win over Federer on Saturday, Djokovic was excited when he was told there was rain in the Sunday forecast.

“I don’t know the rituals, how to invite the rain,” he said. “An extra day would be great.”

Nadal probably didn’t appreciate the delay as much. The 24-year-old Spaniard is aiming for his first U.S. Open title and a chance to become the seventh man in history of have one of each of the four major titles — Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

Even though the Open is usually not averse to playing late matches — Nadal’s fourth-round win over Feliciano Lopez didn’t begin until 8:15 PDT — U.S. Tennis Assn. spokesman Chris Widmaier said the early cancellation came because of the forecast and because many fans had been on the grounds several hours.

diane.pucin@latimes.com

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