Nadal after defeating Medvedev at the 2022 Australian Open final, has now won one more Grand Slam than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer who are on 20 each
By Kehinde Okeowo
World number 6 tennis player, Rafael Nadal came from two sets down to beat 2nd seed Russian star Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5 in a thrilling Australian Open final.
Nadal reached the final by defeating Italian, Matteo Berrettini in a four-set semifinal, while Medvedev won against 7th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second semi final to set up the final clash.
Medvedev, 25, who is the reigning US Open champion, was on the verge of adding a second successive major title after two sets, as he was in total control until Nadal fought back to earn an extraordinary win.
The 35-year-old Spaniard has been at the centre of some of the sport’s most incredible triumphs – but this will surely go down as the most amazing Grand Slam victory of his illustrious career
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The victory is a record 21st grand slam singles title for Nadal, who has now won one more Grand Slam than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer who are both on 20.
Nadal’s achievement comes only a few months after he thought he would never be able to return to the tour because of a foot injury, which restricted him to only one tournament in the final seven months of 2021.
He also had a bout of coronavirus in December which also left him sick. The setbacks meant the Australian Open was just Nadal’s second competitive event in five months, having won a warm-up tournament at Melbourne Park earlier in January.
Nadal sealed victory after five hours 24 minutes, as he became so dominant after the first two sets that Medvedev could not return a net volley on the first of the Spaniard’s three match points.
Apart from the record set by Nadal at this year’s event, the tournament will also be remembered for the deportation of defending champion, Novak Djokovic from Australia as punishment for a Covid-19 related violation.
