Daniil Medvedev lost the Australian Open final for the second time in a row after falling in straight sets to Djokovic in last year’s final.
Rafael Nadal returned from two sets to win a five-set Titanic duel with Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open here on Sunday and claim a record 21st Grand Slam men’s title.
The Spanish great looked dead and buried as the Russian world No. 2 took a two-set lead, but Nadal held on to one of his most powerful comebacks, 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6- 4 wins. , 6-4 in five hours and 24 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.
war of attrition
Nadal came out on top in a physical battle of struggles to overtake rivals of the era Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the all-time list of men’s Major winners.
Djokovic missed a chance to improve on his nine Australian Open victories when he was relegated on the eve of the tournament over vaccination issues, while Federer was injured.
It was one of the 35-year-old Spanish crusader’s biggest title win in his 29th Grand Slam final, as he won his second Australian Open in 2009 for the first time in 13 years.
“It’s been one of the most emotional matches of my tennis career,” Nadal said.
Nadal became the fourth person to win each of the four Grand Slams twice and the third oldest person to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era (since 1970), behind Ken Roswell and Federer.
The final went down to a bitter end with Nadal breaking up as he worked for the championship only to break the Spaniard back.
In his second attempt to serve it up, Nadal scored three match-points to win amidst the chaotic visuals and frenzied crowd in his player’s box.
fourth time
This is the fourth time in his career that Nadal has won by two sets, but for the first time in a Slam final. It is the second time Nadal has ousted Medvedev in a Grand Slam final, taking an epic five-set win at the 2019 US Open. Nadal has taken a 4-1 lead over Medvedev in his five matches so far.
It crowned an extraordinary effort by Nadal at the year’s opening Major, modifying his game to compensate for a degenerative bone disease in his left leg that ended his 2021 season last August.
He then caught Covid in December, which, he said, made him “very sick”.
amazing champion
Medvedev had bid for Djokovic’s calendar Grand Slam push and a 21st title in New York four months ago and was aiming to do the same for Nadal in Melbourne.
Medvedev lost his second consecutive Australian Open final after losing in straight sets to Djokovic in last year’s final.
“It’s hard to talk after five hours and 30s, but I want to congratulate Rafa because I was amazed at what you did today,” Medvedev said. “I thought you were about to get tired, and maybe you did a little, but you still won the match. You are an amazing champion.”
a better going
Top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova had earlier won their fourth Grand Slam title, defeating Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 to win the women’s doubles title. Was. He was the runner-up last year to Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka.
Krejcikova and Siniakova have won titles at Roland Garros (2018, 2021) and Wimbledon (2018) since debuting as a partnership in 2016.
,