After a rain delay, #1 seed Rafael Nadal has short odds to beat #3 seed Novak Djokovic Monday night in the U.S. Open men’s singles tennis final at Flushing Meadows. It is Nadal’s first ever U.S Open final as the Spaniard has his best chance to add the final major Grand Slam title to his belt.

Nadal has been on fire and easily beat #12 seed Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets in his semifinal. Djokovic survived two match points against Roger Federer in a grueling five-set semifinal. Nadal won the French Open and Wimbledon this year. If he wins the U.S. Open, it will be his ninth Grand Slam victory. At the young age of 24, he could well catch Federer’s record 16 titles. Djokovic is looking to win his second Grand Slam after winning the 2008 Australian Open.

Nadal and Djokovic have met 21 times on tour. Nadal holds the lead, 14-7, in matches. But, they haven’t played each other in 2010 and Djokovic has won the last three matches, all of which came on hard court last year. In fact, Djokovic is 7-3 in his career against Nadal on hard court, so he has that going for him.

However, Djokovic used a lot of energy to beat Federer, a feat in its own right. Nadal has breezed through his matches and hasn’t dropped a set. His win-loss ratio on the season is over 90%. Djokovic’s win ratio is nearing 80% and he’s looking like the Grand Slam winner he was in 2008. Still, Nadal has plenty left in the tank to overtake the Serbian.

U.S. Open Men’s Final Match Odds (provided by Ladbrokes)

Rafael Nadal: 2/5

Novak Djokovic: 7/4