‘GOATness achieved!’ Rafael Nadal SCRIPTS history and clutches past Daniil Medvedev to win his 21st grand slam title


‘GOATness achieved!’ Rafael Nadal SCRIPTS history and clutches past Daniil Medvedev to win his 21st grand slam title

Rafael Nadal after winning the Championship Point at 2022 Australian Open

In one of the greatest finals in grand slam tennis history, Rafael Nadal pulled off a miracle in Melbourne to win his 21st grand slam title! Nadal came from 2 sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in five sets 2-6,6-7(5),6-4,6-4,7-5 to win his second Australian Open title. With this win, Nadal has now overtaken Noval Djokovic and Roger Federer in the all-time grand slam winners’ list.

Nadal, who a month ago wasn’t sure to compete at the Australian Open has now become the third oldest grand slam winner. He has also become only the third player in the open era after Djokovic and Rod Laver to win all four majors at least twice.

The intensity was unreal from both the players at the start. Medvedev was putting a lot of pressure on Nadal’s serve and the Spaniard struggled with his first serve. After a couple of tight games, it was clear that Medvedev was taking the charge from the baseline. The Russian’s serve too was flawless in the first set. He took advantage of Nadal’s vulnerable serve and took a break midway in the set. Out of character, Nadal was on the back foot and got broken once again. Medvedev held serve to perfection and took the opening set 6-2.

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The second set was probably one of the most intense sets of tennis of the highest quality. Medvedev once again was dominating the rallies but Nadal somehow managed to hold serve. Against the run of play, a lapse in concentration gave Nadal an opportunity on Medvedev’s serve as he got the first break of the match. Nadal was up 4-1 but Medvedev wasn’t done yet.

He pulled out some clutch tennis to get a break back. But Rafa got another break only to get broken once again. Medvedev showed some serious nerves of steel to get back into the set and forced a tie-breaker. Once again he trailed early on but got back to win the tie-breaker.

A comeback for the ages from Nadal

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Nadal was on the back foot as the last time he won from being two sets down was 15 years ago! Medvedev once again was right on the money with his serve at the start of the third set. Nadal was once again struggling with his first serve but managed to hold up from the baseline. The players were on serve till 4-4 until Medvedev tried a fancy volley on serve which went into the net. He then had a moment with the crowd after which he was boooed. All the momentum suddenly shifted in Nadal’s favor as he won the set 6-4.

The fourth set started with the same intensity as the last three. Medvedev seemed to struggle with his movement and has heavy legs but he was giving everything back to Nadal. The crowd was heavily in favor of Nadal and Medvedev clearly was frustrated by it. Another lapse in concentration from the second seed gave Nadal the opportunity to break and he capitalized to take the decisive break. Nadal served out to win the set 6-4 and forced a decider.

Nadal had the momentum going into the final set but Medvedev too wasn’t done set. Despite playing for more than 4 hours, both players were involved in long rallies and were strong on serve as well. It was Nadal who got the first break and he looked all set to serve it out. He was 5-4, 30-0 up but Medvedev produced some clutch tennis to get the break. But Nadal broke back once again and served out to win the set 7-5 to become a 21-tine grand slam champion! His emotions after the match showcased what this win meant to him.

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Also read: WATCH: Security rush to protect Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev as a fan tries to invade during Australian Open Finals protesting against refugee detention