It is not easy for athletes of all disciplines to best manage their first seasonal commitments. The road to the start of the new tennis year, in particular, is characterized by unknowns and doubts that only training and sweat can dispel.
After the foot injury and its positivity to the Covid-19, this year it is Rafael Nadal who has become the protagonist of a fantastic ride. The Spanish champion, almost six months after his last official match, returned to the field at the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne and literally dominated his opponents.
The big question mark in view of the Australian Open was related to his physical condition and the possibility of expressing a high level of play even in a match to the best of five sets.
Nadal erased all doubts thanks to his immense talent and great will. Two matches went down in history and led to Nadal signing the record for slams won by a tennis player in his career.
The Majorcan had to deal with a dangerous sunstroke during the meeting with Denis Shapovalov, valid for access to the semi-finals of the first major of the year. Leading by two sets, Nadal collapsed and was forced to play the fifth set.
In the last and decisive part, the Spaniard found a way to put the Canadian in difficulty again and win the challenge. The 35-year-old Mallorcan pulled off a miracle in the final by recovering two sets clear of Daniil Medvedev.
Best starts of the season: Nadal targets Djokovic’s record
Nadal is yet to lose a game since the start of the season and his winning streak currently stands at 13.
This is his best career start. The first five places in this special ranking, as journalist Luca Fiorino reports on his Twitter account, are occupied by Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.
The Serbian recorded the two best starts in tennis history in 2011 and 2020. In the former case, Djokovic won 41 matches in a row; in the second, on the other hand, he stopped at an altitude of 26 due to the disqualification suffered at the US Open, when he accidentally touched the linesman with the ball.
Sampras, Federer and Djokovic himself eventually won 17 consecutive victories in 1997, 2018 and 2013 respectively. Nadal’s record hunt continued in Acapulco, where he beat Daniil Medevedev and Cameron Norrie.
The Russian, taking advantage of Djokovic’s defeat in the quarter-finals of the Dubai tournament, became the new world number one.
