Rafael Nadal Wins Australian Open Final And Makes History With 21 Grand Slam Titles

Rafael Nadal has won the Australian Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev with 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5; Medvedev’s collapse put Nadal at an advantage as he gathered whatever energy he had left for a match that ended up lasting five hours and 24 minutes. With this victory, Rafael Nadal has become the first man to win 21 Grand Slams, leaving Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer tied at 20 each.

This triumph represents a major comeback for Rafael Nadal, as he had spent the past six months battling injury and illness, considering even retiring; he was sure that it was certain he would be defeated by Daniil Medvedev. In the past six months, Nadal had only played six matches and had to put a stop to played afterwards due to a foot injury. Moreover, he also became sick from Covid-19.

Coming back healthy and recovered, once the match began, Daniil Medvedev got his first set win very easily, but at the third set, things started to become more difficult. This is where mistakes started to occur on Daniil Medvedev’s end, to which the crowd kept celebrating on to the annoyance of the player. On the other hand, Rafael Nadal began to see hope in making a comeback and winning.

Once they were tied at two set wins each, the final set was started after four hours and 12 minutes, until finally Nadal took the lead and won the match at Rod Laver Arena, making history with his 21^st Grand Slam win and his second Australian Open title since 2009. 

During the ceremony, Nadal admitted that he did not know just six weeks ago if he would even be able to compete at the Australian Open. He thanked the crowd for their loud and constant support.