2: 6 6: 7 (5/7) 6: 4 6: 4 7: 5 after 5:24 hours for Nadal, who 13 years earlier had won his only trophy at the Australian Open in Melbourne. “It’s one of my most emotional matches in my career – and sharing this moment with you is an honor for me,” said Nadal, visibly moved, and kept turning to Medvedev.
“It will never be forgotten and will remain in my heart for the rest of my life,” assured the great fighter and also recalled hard times of uncertainty: “To be honest, a month and a half ago I didn’t know if I could come back to the tour” , said Nadal, “and now I’m here and I have this trophy.”
Victory and record for Rafael Nadal
The men’s final of the Australian Open developed into an absolute highlight. His win gave Nadal the sole record of Grand Slam wins.
When Medvedev could no longer counter his backhand volley at match point, Nadal dropped the racket. The Spaniard shook his head in disbelief, repeatedly patting his heart. He made a fairy-tale comeback after a long layoff with a foot injury and fought the second-longest final in tournament history with Medvedev. “I can’t really explain how I’m feeling right now, but I’ll try my best to come back next year,” he announced.
At 1:30 a.m. early Monday morning (local time), Nadal beamed as he lifted the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. Exactly two weeks to the day after Novak Djokovic was forced to leave Australia, Nadal took the lead in the fascinating Grand Slam race ahead of the Serb and Swiss Roger Federer. His two rivals have collected 20 trophies of this most important category – like Nadal until this crazy final.
Nadal takes advantage of the hour
Djokovic had been traded highest for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year before the start and wanted to achieve what Nadal was now able to do. The Serb, who was not vaccinated against the corona virus, had lost the appeal against his canceled visa before the Australian federal court. Nadal seized the moment in the absence of the record nine-time Melbourne winner.
It was impressive how Nadal got up against Medvedev, who was ten years his junior, and how he won the fifth set. The result did not reflect the drama of the match: Nadal already led with a break in the fifth set. When he hit tennis history at 5:4 and was only two points away, he lost his service game. But he immediately took the lead again – and had done it a little later.
“Tennis History Day”
Australian tennis legend Rod Laver captured the moment on his cellphone and later personally congratulated the champion in the gym. There Nadal dropped onto a mat before cycling out. “I thought he would get tired,” Medvedev said. “It was a day for history,” said Boris Becker: “I’m convinced that Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic also saw the final – now it’s your turn to follow up,” he said Germans.
“What a match,” wrote the Swiss Federer on Instagram. “Fantastic performance,” Djokovic commented on Twitter. “Always impressive fighting spirit, which has prevailed once again.”
“To my friend and great rival Rafael Nadal,” wrote the 40-year-old Federer on Instagram stories. “A few months ago we were still joking about how we both walked on crutches. Fantastic. Never underestimate a great champion,” Federer said, writing of Nadal’s incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit. You are an inspiration to him and many others around the world. “I am proud to share this era with you and honored to help you achieve even more. As you have done for me for the past 18 years.”
Between mid-June and early January, Nadal only played two games due to his complicated foot problems. He discussed with his family whether it was time to say goodbye to tennis if the problems did not improve. Now the “clay king” is only the fourth player – alongside Djokovic, Laver and Roy Emerson – to win every Grand Slam event at least twice. He triumphed in a similar fashion to Federer in 2017, who took a surprise win down under after suffering a knee injury and a long layoff.
Not a game for the faint of heart
In the final match of the tournament, it didn’t matter that Nadal made too many unforced errors in the first two sets. Medvedev initially looked like the better player for a long time. It seemed like he could spoil the show for one of the stars of the scene again. Just over four months ago, at the US Open in New York, Medvedev prevented Djokovic from winning his 21st title and historic Grand Slam with all four major titles in one year. Cool and defensively strong, the Russian defied the atmosphere in the Rod Laver Arena for a long time, because the sympathies were clearly with Nadal, who was ten years his senior.
In the second set, a person protesting against Australia’s refugee policy briefly disrupted the game and was quickly stopped by security guards. However, that was not the reason why Nadal failed to equalize the set despite a 5: 3 lead. From the end of the third set, Nadal turned up and generated more power. Medvedev, on the other hand, deviated a little from his line and showed uncertainties.
In the meantime, the Russian also discussed with the referee John Blom about spectators being disturbed by shouts and had his thigh massaged and treated. The US Open final in 2019 had already developed into an exciting duel over five sets between the two, at that time Nadal had led by two sets and in the end only won in the decisive set. This time the spectators, his will and the mental strength of Nadal carried him to a memorable victory.
