Rafael Nadal produced an audacious comeback to win his first Australian Open title in 13 years after outlasting Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller at Melbourne Park.
The world No.5 was trailing the final by two sets and was two games away from defeat before fighting back to prevail 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5, after more than five hours of pulsating play. It is the first time he has won a match from two sets down since 2007. Nadal’s latest victory has made him the most successful male player in Grand Slam history with a total of 21 titles. He is also only the second player in the Open Era to have won each of the four major events at least twice after Novak Djokovic.
“It’s just amazing. One-and-a-half months ago I didn’t know if I would be able to be back on the Tour playing tennis again,” said Nadal.
“Today I am in front of all of you with this trophy with me and you really don’t know how much I fought to be here (in Melbourne).’
“I can’t thank enough all of the support I have received.” He added.
Nadal’s rollercoaster win over Medvedev featured more twists and turns than the infamous Lombard Street in San Francisco. In total there were a staggering 44 break points with 31 of those being converted. Nadal produced a total of 69 winners against 68 unforced errors, as well as winning 67% of his first service points.
“Daniil you’re an amazing champion. I have been in this position (runner-up) a couple of times in this tournament. Having chances to have the trophy with me but I don’t have any doubt that you will have this trophy a couple of times in your career because you are amazing,” Nadal said to Medvedev.
“It has been one of the most emotional matches of my tennis career. To share the court with you is just an honour.”
Taking to the court both men had a shot of making history in the sport. Nadal was seeking to become the first male player to win a 21st Grand Slam title, which would have moved him past rivals Roger Federer and Djokovic. Meanwhile, Medvedev was aiming to become the first male player in the Open Era to win their second major title immediately after claiming their first.
With so much at stake, the final started with a fierce tussle between the two on what was a hot and humid evening in Melbourne Park. Best illustrated by Nadal who was sweating profusely after just three games played. Medvedev was relentless throughout the opener as he continuously applied pressure onto the Nadal serve as he claimed five games in a row. The Russian struck his first blow in the fifth game after a backhand error from his rival granted him his first break of the match to move ahead 3-2. Gaining in momentum Medvedev went on to seal a double break with relative ease due to a surge in unforced errors from Nadal who hit two double faults and a forehand unforced error during his third service game where he got broken to love. The world No.2 sealed the opener after just 42 minutes of play when a serve out wide was returned into the net by his rival.
Nadal, who had beaten Medvedev in three out of their four previous meetings, managed to regain his rhythm in the second frame. A gut-busting 40-shot rally concluded with a flawless slice winner which rewarded the Spaniard his first break points of the match. He went on to convert thanks to a mistake coming from across the court to move ahead 3-1. Triggering an eruption of cheers on the Rod Laver Arena.
Nadal then moved to four points away from leveling the match but failed to serve the second set out during what was a dramatic game which was briefly halted due to a security scare. A member of the crowd went on the court when the Spaniard was facing a break point before being detained. The individual was carrying a banner protesting against refugee detention in Australia.
The drama continued into the tiebreaker with both players demonstrating some electrifying tennis. Twice the Spaniard managed to get a mini-break before being pegged back by a resilient Medvedev who never looked intimidated by the pro-Nadal crowd. A carefully placed drop shot followed by a backhand volley moved him to set point which he converted with the help of a winning backhand passing shot.
The comeback
Playing in only his second tournament since returning from a foot injury and having the odds stacked firmly against him, Nadal refused to go down without a fight as he staged a blockbuster comeback which electrified the Melbourne crowd. The momentum change started at 4-4 in the third set after a blistering backhand winner granted him a break and the opportunity to serve out the match to revive his title hopes which he did with relative ease.
Continuing to weather the storm, Nadal attacked Medvedev’s serve throughout the fourth frame. It was becoming evident that the Russian was tiring and at times he struggled to push off from his leg to return shots. Nadal broke twice in a row as he took proceedings into a decider. Doing so with a love service game that concluded with the help of an unreturned serve from Medvedev.
Incredibly, it wasn’t until four hours and 40 minutes into the match when Nadal had an overall lead after hitting a forehand winner which painted the sidelines to break early on in the fifth set. Admirbally, Medvedev continued to fight on court but it was not enough to deny his opponent.
Nadal failed to serve the match out on his first attempt when leaving 5-4 before managing to work his way to another opportunity two games later. An ace, which was only his third in the match, earned him three championship points. He triumphed on the first of those with the help of a backhand volley at the net. Prompting the tennis giant to drop his racket out of delight.
“This has probably been one of the most emotional (tournaments) in my tennis career. Having the huge support during the past few weeks is going to stay in my heart for the rest of my life,” said the 21-time Grand Slam winner.
‘One-and-a-half months ago I was saying maybe this would be my last Australian Open but now this is plenty of energy to keep going.’
“I really can’t explain the feelings that I have right now but I’m going to keep trying my best and keep coming.”
