Rafael Nadal: Australian Open win – 21 Grand Slam titles – Tennis

It’s a day for the history books!

Superstar Rafael Nadal (35) is now the absolute king in tennis history! In an epic final at the Australian Open in Melbourne, the Spaniard won his 21st Grand Slam title: 3:6, 6:7, 6:4, 6:4, 7:5 against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev (25).

Unbelievable how he turned into a 0:2 set deficit and after at least 5:24 hours, the second longest Grand Slam final in history, turned around his first match point. Only played longer against Novak Djokovic (34) in 2012 at the same place (5:53 hrs). The world number 5 now-ranked won the race against Roger Federer (40) and Djokovic for the 21st major title.

This is his second success in Melbourne after 2009. This makes Nadal the fourth player after Rod Laver (83), Roy Emerson (85, Australia) and Djokovic to win all Grand Slams at least twice.

Race, class and also a shocking moment! The Melbourne Final had everything you could ever want to see and live without. In the second group, a refugee activist jumped onto the field holding a banner, but was immediately caught before she could get back on her feet after jumping eight feet.

Fortunately the issue was resolved within seconds. Hardly anyone talked about it after that.

As soon as they entered, the sympathy of the spectators was clearly distributed. Unbridled cheers for Nadal, and applause mixed with boos for his opponent, who infuriated the audience several times during the tournament. First in a duel with Australian star Nick Kyrgios (26), then his attack on the referee (“Are you stupid?”) in the semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas (23/Greece).

But this did not bother the Russians at all. He was fully awake and was better than Nadal from the start. The Spaniard was only fortunate to pass their first two service matches, losing the third to zero and also the fourth. But there was no applause from the ranks of the players for the dreaded strongman Medvedev played.

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Photo: Aaron Francis/AFP

So Nadal lost the first set 2:6; It can only improve from his point of view. On the other hand, Medvedev could adopt the nickname “Teflon”. The famous support of his opponent simply defeated him.

Nadal had to think of something and he did. He was still struggling with his sending, but at least he made it through. When he then managed to take a break to make the score 3-1, the roof of Rod Laver Arena would have flown if closed. The joy has no bounds.

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Photo: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Reuters

But suddenly Nadal is back on a roller coaster. Medvedev got the break, king of clay and then again up front twice. Then he just hit the net and was so annoyed that he lost his serve again. In the end, the first half had to decide, which Medvedev won next.

The tension on the field took 15,000 spectators in the third set as well. Brickballs, cool rallies and crazy balls, the two didn’t deliver for anything.

The crowd turned wild when Nadal broke to 5:4 in a game that has now turned into a fight. The basis of the next service game is that he won zero and thus the set 6:4.

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Now Medvedev is back again, which greatly annoys Australian fans. After losing his serve through a double fault at the start of the fourth round, he taunted the crowd and threw applause. The result was a loud “Buuuuuuuuh”.

But “Teflon” did not mind. He also knows what his gestures evoke. In any case, the US Open winner stayed calm this time and immediately took a break. The epic battle lasted nearly four hours. From time to time, Medvedev had his thigh treated by a physiotherapist, but he continued to play without any visible limitations.

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Photo: Getty Images

Despite many bugs, it was already an exciting game. A break of 3:2 was actually enough for Nadal to level the set.

But Nadal never gives up. La Ola swept the field and the Mallorca man was on his way to victory when he broke to make it 3-2. But he gave it up the moment he served to win the match. Time wasting warning included. There was nothing missing in this game.

Nadal took the break straight away and worked again for the match and thus for eternity. His twenty-first title in the Grand Slam!