Rafael Nadal pulls ahead over rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic when he clinched a record-breaking 21st grand slam title after beating Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the 2022 Australian Open final.
Nadal broke a tie for the men’s most Grand Slams won previously jointly held with Federer and Djokovic.
Djokovic, the defending champion, was denied entry into Australia after authorities revoked his visa due to alleged violations of health and safety protocols.
Nadal’s finals win will go down as one for the ages. He was two sets down and was at triple break point in the third set when he engineered one of the biggest comebacks in tennis history.
One thing going for Nadal was he had the crowd behind his back going into the match, clearly evidenced by the echoing boos when Medvedev was introduced.
Nadal took an early 2-1 lead in the first set but Medvedev broke Nadal’s serve in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Medvedev went on to close out the first set without dropping another game.
The Spaniard opened the second set 3-1 up and maintained control of the unpredictable match at 5-3 after breaking Medvedev’s serve the second time.
Medvedev, however, quickly got back by breaking Nadal’s serve to make it 4-5. The pair exchanged holds of serve until the set reached a tie break.
Nadal was leading 5-4 but Medevev rallied to take the tie-break 7-6 (7-5).
Another slow start in the third by Nadal made it look like the set, and the match, will be over in short order. He was 0-40 down while serving at 2-3.
This is where the legend of Nadal grew bigger and his being clutch in moments that count was confirmed.
Nadal clawed his way back to deuce and win the game to level the third set. It also got the momentum swing in his favor.
Nadal begins to play some of the best tennis of his life at this point and eventually claims his first set, giving up just one game.
He proceeded to take a 4-2 lead in the fourth. Later, his back was again against the ropes after being down 15-40, although still leading 4-3. He went on to score four straight points to make it 5-3.
Medvedev took the next game, fending off a set point, but Nadal tied the count with a faultless service game and set up the winner-take-all fifth set.
By this time, Nadal’s confidence was at an all-time high, especially knowing the significance of a victory. He will not only will he get the historic 21st Grand slam but also bring home his second Australian Open title, one that avoided him despite reaching the finals three times after winning his first.
Nadal broke his opponent’s serve once again to take a 3-2 lead and made it 4-2 by saving multiple break points in a game that went to deuce six times.
Medvedev rallied to make it 5-4 and took his turn to rattle four straight points to come back from 0-30 to tie the score.
However, Nadal was just not going to be denied his record title. He broke back immediately to make it 6-5 and hold serve to put a finish to this year’s tournament.
His win made him the fourth man, after Djokovic, Roy Emerson, and Rod Laver, to achieve the double career Grand Slam, and the second in the Open Era. Nadal also became the first man in the Open Era to win an Australian Open final after losing the first two sets.
Given that Nadal was pondering retirement just six months ago, he admitted his victory in Melbourne will go down as one of his career’s greatest wins.
There had been major doubts about whether or not Nadal would even be fit enough to play at the Australian Open after missing the second half of 2021 with a foot injury.
He, however, got through the tournament with relative ease in terms of his injury concerns.
Nadal has a chance to add at least one more Grand Slam to his resume as his favorite surface, Roland Garros, looms later this year. He has won the French Open 13 times, the most by any player at any surface.
He was upset by Novak Djokovic last year in the semis but rattled off four straight before that.
By Armando M. Bolislis
Photo from Pixabay