Rafael Nadal reached 21 first, breaking the men’s record for the most Grand Slam singles titles and doing it the hard way by coming back from straight sets to beat Daniil Medvedev in a nearly five-and-a-half-hour Australian Open final that did not did. finish until early Monday morning in Melbourne.
Nadal broke serve while serving for the championship at 5-4 in the fifth set, but made no mistake two games later as he served an ace to earn three championship points and convert it on the first down.
The 35-year-old Spaniard now has one more major title than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, his longtime rivals in the so-called Big Three.
The 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory that began on Sunday night was delayed in the 84-minute second set when a protester jumped onto the court and then ended early Monday. tomorrow, Nadal also became the fourth man in history to win the sport’s four major titles at least twice.
“Good evening. No, good morning!” Nadal, looking at his watch, told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena when he finally got up for his acceptance speech at 1:30 a.m.
CLOCK | Nadal wins the 21st Grand Slam title: 
Rafael Nadal wins the Australian Open and breaks the record for the men’s singles Grand Slam title
Rafael Nadal came back to defeat Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set contest to capture the Australian Open. His 21st victory in a men’s singles Grand Slam sees Nadal surpass Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most in history.
In the background, Rod Laver, the aging Australian tennis great, was in the stands holding his smartphone to capture the scenes. A nearby woman held up a sign that read: “Rafa is the GOAT.”
For now, at least in terms of major men’s titles, Nadal is the greatest of all time.
Nadal called it “one of the most emotional matches of my tennis career” and praised Medvedev for his role in the five-hour, 24-minute final. It was the second-longest Australian Open final, after Nadal’s loss to Djokovic in the 2012 decider that lasted 5:53.
Definitely, [it’s] It has probably been one of the most emotional months of my tennis career.— Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal
Nadal’s win was all the more remarkable considering he flew to Australia with just two matches under his belt in the second half of 2021 because he was sidelined with a chronic foot injury that can be treated but not cured. He also had a bout of COVID-19.
“For me, it’s just amazing. To be honest, a month and a half ago, I didn’t know if I would be able to play on tour again,” Nadal said. “Definitely, [it’s] It has probably been one of the most emotional months of my tennis career.
“The great support I have received over the last three weeks will remain in my heart for the rest of my life.”
almost ruined celebration
Nadal won his first Australian Open title in 2009 and lost four other finals at Melbourne Park before his dramatic victory over US Open champion Medvedev. His conversion rate in major finals is now 21 out of 29. Federer and Djokovic each have 20 majors in 31 finals appearances.
Medvedev, who was aiming to be the first man in the Open era to win his second Grand Slam title at the next Grand Slam, came very close to spoiling another 21st celebration.
Djokovic was chasing the same record at the US Open last year and a Grand Slam in a calendar year, when Medvedev beat him in straight sets in the final.
Federer also had his chance at 21, but Djokovic stopped it when he saved match points before winning the 2019 Wimbledon final.
Federer posted an Instagram message that he addressed “to my friend and great rival.”
“A few months ago we joked that they were both on crutches. Unbelievable. Never underestimate a great champion,” Federer wrote. “His incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit of his are an inspiration to me and so many others around the world.”
Djokovic praised Nadal’s “incredible achievement” in a Twitter post that added: “Always an impressive fighting spirit that prevailed another time.”
Medvedev now joins Andy Murray among those who lost the final at the next major tournament after his career at the highest level.
It was only the fourth time Nadal had recovered from two sets to win a best-of-five-set match, and the first since a 2007 fourth-round win at Wimbledon over Mikhail Youzhny.
Medvedev had Nadal go all the way and win from straight sets in the Australian Open final. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
He is the first Australian Open champion to win again after losing the first two sets of the final since Roy Emerson in 1965.
They ask the chair umpire to calm the crowd
Medvedev continued his love-hate relationship with the Australian crowds, following struggles in previous wins over Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He kept his cool through the first two sets before complaining about the shouting and noise between the first and second serves.
After Nadal broke him in the third game of the fourth set, on a double fault, Medvedev walked towards the substitution giving a wry thumbs up to the crowd.
There was an exchange of breaks, but Nadal took the lead after a long game when he converted his seventh break point with an angled backhand winner.
Medvedev urged chair umpire John Blom to silence the crowd.
“Cheer up man, it’s a Grand Slam final. Please, it’s not enough,” he said. “They’re idiots. With idiots, please doesn’t work.”
Medvedev regained his composure for his post-match speech, praising Nadal for his incredible stamina.
“Hard to talk [5 1/2] hours and losing. I want to congratulate Rafa,” said the 25-year-old Russian. “What he did today was incredible.
“You are an incredible champion.”
Krejcikova, Siniakova are women’s doubles champions
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova moved one step closer to a career doubles Grand Slam when they won their first Australian Open title on Sunday, beating Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-7(3), 6-4. , 6-4.
The Czech pair had already won twice at the French Open to go with a Wimbledon title and Olympic gold medals. But their victory on Sunday gave them their fourth Grand Slam title in five finals and their first on hard courts.
The top seeds were forced to fight to the last for their unseeded rivals, dropping a set for the first time in the tournament and battling it out for two hours and 42 minutes before clinching victory.
Siniakova first served for the match at 5-2 in the third set, but was broken by Danilina of Kazakhstan and Haddad Maia of Brazil to extend the match. Krejcikova finally took the match out at the next opportunity.
Source: www.cbc.ca