Rafael Nadal wrote tennis history and thus thwarted Serbian Novak Djokovic’s plan. The Mallorcan was crowned Australian Open champion in an epic final against Russian Daniil Medvedev (25), making himself the sole number 1 in the list of male Grand Slam champions. It was the 21st major title for the 35-year-old, so he now has one more than his eternal rivals Roger Federer (Sui) and Djokovic, who had to leave Melbourne before the start of the tournament due to a lack of corona vaccination. Both congratulated them on social networks.
Nadal defeated Medvedev after 5:24 hours 2: 6, 6: 7 (5), 6: 4, 6: 4 and 7: 5, for the winner it was the second title in Australia after 2009. “I have one here played one of the most emotional matches of my tennis career, that will always remain in my heart,” admitted Nadal with tears in his eyes. The Spaniard had turned a 0:2 set deficit with an energy performance.
Medvedev took off his hat to the enormous staying power of his opponent, who had already surpassed himself in the quarter-finals in the five-set thriller against Denis Shapovalov (Can). Nadal had lost four kilos, in the meantime he had been knocked out – completely dehydrated.
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“Are you really tired?”
But Nadal never gives up, he is – if one may say so – a “mentality monster”. “I have to congratulate Rafa, it’s incredible what you’ve done,” said Medvedev. “You raised your level after the first two sentences, now I have to ask you: Are you really tired?”
Fans at Rod Laver Arena were amused – and excited when Nadal indicated he would also be serving in Melbourne in 2023. “I’ll try everything to keep marching like this and come back next year.” It will not fail at will. It is unclear whether the battered body of the veteran will play along. A few months ago, Nadal threatened the end of his career due to a serious foot injury. “I didn’t know if I would ever be able to return to the tour and play tennis at this level,” gave the fifth in the world rankings an insight into his inner life. “There were difficult moments that I would not have mastered without the team at my side,” said Nadal, whose triumph was sweetened with prize money of 2.76 million euros.
Medvedev has to console himself with 1.38 million euros – minus 10,700, which he was given because of the rants against the chair umpire in the semifinals.
“Abolish refugee detention”
Both finalists broke a lance for the not undisputed tournament director Craig Tiley, who had been blamed by many Australians for the escalation in the Djokovic case because he had not forbidden him to enter the country in advance.
In the tie-break of the second set, the organizers were caught up by the past. An activist stormed the court and held up a banner reading “Abolish refugee detention.” Before his deportation, Djokovic had had to spend a few days in the “Park Hotel”, where more than 30 refugees and asylum seekers had been stuck for several months or even years.
If the journalist Carole Bouchard, who wrote the Djokovic biography, has his way, the world number 1 will peek at the end of the final. “Djokovic’s obsession is to win his 21st Grand Slam title to overtake Federer and Nadal. His goal is not to beat Medvedev or Zverev.”
In any case, yesterday the “Djoker” had the size to congratulate: “An impressive achievement. His fighting spirit has prevailed again,” he tweeted. Federer begrudges his friend Nadal the success from the heart. “Your passion, your hard work, your ethics are an inspiration to me and countless others.” (Alex)
Source: Nachrichten
