Friday, March 29, 2024

Rafael Nadal, first man to win 21 Grand Slams

Rafael Nadal wins his second Australian Open title, beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, 2-6,6-7,6-4,6-4,7-5 with a comeback which is referred to as the most epic one in his career.

Including this marvelous win at the hardcourt of the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Nadal has 21 grand slams on his shelf and became the first man to do so in the history of Tennis.

In the first two sets, Medvedev outplayed Rafael Nadal to grab a 6-2, 7-6 win and continued to put in a strong performance in the third set too.

Nadal’s comeback story begins from there. With a 6-4 win in the 3rd set, he clawed back into his excellence in the 4th set to secure the win. Nadal moved up by breaking Medvedev’s serve in Game 5 of the last set and breaking him for the second time to win the title.

Due to a foot injury, Nadal had to miss all games in the second half of 2021. His fitness was in a state of doubt.

However, at the beginning of January, he came back to the field at the Melbourne summer set tournament to win his first ATP since 2021.

“I feel lucky just playing tennis,” he told Eurosport.

“I’m playing with a great tactical, positive feelings. I feel a little bit alive again, attitude, the competitive spirit, so yeah, I’ve missed that feeling sometimes. I am enjoying it. I know the pressure is not much for me now. I never believed I would have the chance to be where I am today, so I’m just enjoying every single moment,” he said.

Tennis fans expected that the 20 time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic may give Nadal a tough competition in the tournament. But the deportation of Djokovic by the Australian government due to non-compliance with COVID 19-protocol made things easier for Nadal.

spot_img

Don't Miss

Related Articles