Nadal’s fightback seals Slam record
RAFAEL Nadal achieved the most astonishing feat of his glittering career by fighting back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev and win a record 21st grand slam title at the Australian Open.
Nadal’s 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5 victory moves him clear of his great rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the most successful male player in grand slam history.
When the match, which lasted five hours and 24 minutes, finally finished at 1.11am local time in Melbourne, Nadal dropped his racquet to the court in disbelief before pumping his fists in delight and celebrating with his support team.
The victory also makes him only the second man in the Open era after Djokovic to win each of the four titles at least twice, with Nadal finally adding a second Australia Open crown to the one he claimed in 2009.
But the numbers only tell a fraction of the story. The Spaniard feared he may have to retire only a couple of months ago because of a chronic foot problem and arrived in Australia unsure of what he could achieve.
Reaching the final had already exceeded all expectations and it appeared he would fall just short again in Melbourne when Medvedev moved two sets ahead.
Nadal had faded physically in the third set of his matches against both Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini but, at 35 and playing in just his 10th match since early August, he outlasted an opponent nearly a decade his junior.
Medvedev, who had also lost in the US Open final in 2019 to Nadal and here against Djokovic last year, had been exceptional for two sets, finding the perfect mix of aggression and control.
Had he taken any of three break points at 3-2 in the third set, things may well have panned out very differently, but saving them galvanised Nadal.
Muddled shot selection contributed to a break for Nadal in the ninth game of the third set, and his desperate use of drop shots betrayed the fatigue he was feeling.
Nadal got the better of three successive breaks early in the fourth set and he looked on his way to the title when he moved 3-2 ahead in the decider.
At 5-4 30-0, he was two points away, but a double fault could have proved costly as a netted backhand from Nadal saw Medvedev break back.
The Russian, though, could not hold his own serve, giving Nadal a second chance to serve for it, and this time he did not falter.
After receiving the trophy, Nadal said: “Without a doubt it’s one of the most emotional moments in my tennis career.
“The support I received through the three weeks is going to stay in my heart for the rest of my life.
“I really can’t explain the feelings that I have right now but I’m going to keep trying my best to come next year.”