Rafael Nadal edged Daniil Medvedev in a classic Australian Open final on Sunday, roaring back from two sets down to claim a record 21st Grand Slam title only months after fearing his glorious career might be over due to injury.
With Novak Djokovic forced out by deportation and Roger Federer recovering from knee surgery, the Spanish great is now one major title clear of his ‘Big Three’ rivals after surviving the 2-6 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 7-5 thriller at Rod Laver Arena.
Riding a wave of raucous support from the crowd, a vintage Nadal pulled off one of his finest performances to deny Medvedev again, less than three years after leaving the Russian heartbroken in five sets at the 2019 U.S. Open final.
In a match steeped in drama, Nadal was two points from the title but was broken as he served for the match at 5-4.
He held firm to break Medvedev again and served out the match to love, rushing in to deliver a backhand volley as a stunning coup de grace.
Dropping his racket, Nadal shook his head and grinned, then kicked a tennis ball away and pumped his fists in delight.
It was a triumph that defied time and logic, the 35-year-old completing his first five-set win from a two-set deficit in 15 years — since overhauling Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2007.
Having suffered four final defeats in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019, Nadal can now savour a second Melbourne Park crown, 13 years after beating Federer in the 2009 decider.
The long hair and pirate shorts of that decade have fallen by the way-side, but the class and fighting spirit endure in the face of Nadal’s titanic battles to recover from injuries.
Having missed Wimbledon due to fatigue and the U.S. Open because of a chronic condition in his left foot, Nadal was on the brink of quitting in late-2021 and felt blessed just to turn up at Melbourne Park this year. His ability to play seven matches felt miraculous for the Spaniard, who joins Djokovic, Rod Laver and Roy Emerson as the only men to win each Grand Slam title twice.
Now more than ever, world number one Djokovic may rue his failed bid to defend his title in Melbourne without COVID-19 vaccination.
His deportation threw the tournament wide open, leaving a vacuum for Nadal to fill and strike a potentially decisive blow in the Grand Slam race.
Krejcikova-Siniakova pair clinches women’s doubles title
The Czech Republic’s pair of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova clinched their fourth Grand Slam women’s doubles title as a team, defeating Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in the Australian Open final here on Sunday.
This was the No.1 seeds’ maiden Australia Open title and came after the Czech duo overcame a spirited challenge from the unseeded pair of Danilina and Haddad Maia 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4. Siniakova, ranked world No.1, and Krejcikova, No.2 in the doubles, had lost in the final of the 2021 Australian Open, falling to Belgian-Belarusian pair of Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka.
But the Czechs prevailed this time around in an engrossing two-hour and 42-minute contest. Krejcikova and Siniakova added to their two French Open titles (2018 and 2021) and their 2018 Wimbledon title, which means they only need to win the US Open title for a career Grand Slam.
Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallists Krejcikova and Siniakova have improved one step further in each of the last five editions of the Australian Open. They lost in the round of 16 in their 2018 debut, reached the 2019 quarterfinals, the 2020 semifinals, and the 2021 final before their title this year. For Danilina and Haddad Maia, the defeat ended their exceptional run. They had paired up for the first time two weeks ago and won the Sydney title before making their first Grand Slam final in Melbourne. The duo won the first nine matches of their partnership. Haddad Maia was the third Brazilian woman to reach a Grand Slam final, according to wtatennis.com. Maria Bueno won a total of 19 Grand Slam titles between 1959 and 1968 (seven singles, 11 women’s doubles and one mixed doubles), and Claudia Monteiro reached the mixed doubles final at 1982 Roland Garros.
Danilina was ranked No.100 in doubles coming into Sydney, but hit a career-high of No.53 after that title, and will leave the Australian Open with a projected top-25 doubles ranking. Haddad Maia will also reach a new career-high doubles ranking, projected to crack the top-45.