Rafael Nadal has fought back in an epic five-set marathon against Daniil Medvedev To win the 2022 Australian Open men’s singles final.
The win sealed fan-favorite Nadal’s 21st Grand Slam title and propelled the Spaniard ahead of his fellow veterans in the ‘Big Three’ – Novak Djokovik and Roger Federer.
In a tournament plagued by troubles – most notable before hitting the first tennis ball with the Novak Djokovic visa saga – closing night gave a final hiccup as a lone defender before leaping into the court mid-game. the protection.
But the thrilling tennis of the men’s final – on the back of Ash Barty’s victory in the women’s final last night – and the history-making moment by Nadal brought back memories of this tournament – great world-class tennis right here. Melbourne,
After Medvedev won the first set in less than an hour, and after the second set, Nadal drew on his years of Grand Slam experience and crowd support to come from behind and win the next two sets.
As Rafa made the fifth serve and Rod fell to his knees on the Laver Arena, the crowd gathered.
Nadal falls to his knees at Rod Laver Arena after winning the 2022 Australian Open (pictured)
Nadal fought back in the second set (pictured) to whip the crowd but Medvedev came into the tie break
Umpire John Blom speaks with Medvedez between games as the Russian tells him to tell the crowd to remain calm (pictured)
Going into the Australian Open final, Nadal took the 25-year-old Russian 3-1, with Medvedev having previously lost to a Spanish lefty in five sets in his first major final at the 2019 US Open.
It has been an extraordinary effort by the 35-year-old Nadal to reach the final of another Slam.
He has to alter his game to compensate for a bone ailment on his left leg, which ended his 2021 season last August.
He said earlier in the tournament, ‘A month and a half ago I did not know whether I would be able to come back on the tour or not.
Medvedev received a snowy welcome from the crowd as he walked to the Rod Laver Arena (pictured) and some sections cheered for the tournament’s ‘villain’.
Daniil Medvedev of Russia returns against Rafael Nadal of Spain during his men’s singles final match on Day 14 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 3.
Daniil Medvedev She was given a stinging welcome as she reached the finals of the Australian Open – with some sections of Melbourne The park crowd cheered on the Russian world No. 2 as they walked the Rod Laver Arena.
Medvedev has already been labeled as the ‘villain’ of the Open, when his sharp turn on an umpire during their semi-final match was also popular. stephanos tsitsipas, as well as his disagreement with the crowd playing local favorite Nick Kyrgios.
And the peculiarly 25-year-old Russian has previously said he would love the chance to prevent Nadal from reaching Major 21 ahead of his ‘Big Three’ rivals, as he did with Djokovic four months ago.
Commentator Layton Hewitt echoed those sentiments, saying: ‘He’s the villain here. He is trying to spoil the party.
The first set saw Medvedev 6-2 in just 42 minutes, with 35-year-old Nadal looking like he couldn’t match the young Russian’s energy level.
The US Open champion broke Nadal’s serve twice and had a first serve percentage of 82, compared to 54 percent for Nadal.
But Nadal returned in the second set to push Medvedev into lengthy baseline rallies, and with the game leveling at five pieces, Nadal supported the crowd and went 6-5.
Medvedev then leveled the scoreboard and forced a tiebreak in the second set.
Tennis fans at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne (pictured) show their support for the Spaniard on Sunday night
Daniil Medvedev of Russia talks to chair umpire John Blom during his men’s singles final match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open Tennis Championships in Melbourne (pictured)
At 6-5 in Medvedev’s favor in the tiebreak, Nadal saw an opening and ran over the net, but the Russian delivered a resounding back-handed down-the-line winner to take second.
In two sets, Nadal found his groove on Medvedev based on his Grand Slam experience of the decade.
As his opponent started showing signs of exhaustion, Rafa fought from behind to win the third set 6-4.
It seemed to wake up the Melbourne Park crowd with the mood for Rod Laver Arena.
Nadal is vying for his record 21st Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park on Sunday night (pictured)
At the start of the fourth, when Medvedev spilled bottles of pickle juice during a break – used to prevent muscle spasms – Rafa could sense that he was in trouble and in an attempt to physically weaken him. Proceed to drive him around the court even more.
At 2-2 o’clock the slogan ‘Chalo Rafa, Chalo Chalen’ was raised.
An angry Medvedev objected to Nadal’s outspoken support by the Australian crowd and took it to the umpire – repeatedly urging him to announce to the spectators the silence between points.
Australian umpire John Blom – one of the 25 active chair umpires at Gold Badge level worldwide – told the crowd to remain silent before serving ‘as a mark of respect to both players’.
Gold badge holder umpires officiate important matches of Grand Slam, Olympics, ATP and WTA tours.
Nadal got three consecutive break points on Medvedev’s serve in three hours and forty minutes to lead 4-2 and put out the fourth set 6-4 despite a late charge from his opponent.
Medvedev finally pleads with the umpire to rule the crowd (pictured)
Nadal fought back the Melbourne Park crowd in the working third in a frenzy (pictured)
Medvedev was bidding to become the first man in the Open era to win his second Grand Slam title at the next major tournament. He lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open last year.
‘It’s a great rivalry. After reaching the final, Medvedev said, “I am happy to have the opportunity to once again try to stop someone from making history.”
‘I think it’s going to be a big fight, maybe a physical match. Rafa likes to drag people to long rallies. I like it too,’ he said.
‘Rafa, we know he is going to be at his best from first to last point, and I will try to do the same.’
His physio treating Medvedev showed signs of exhaustion in the third set with dandruff
The pickle juice (pictured) that Medvedev was gulping down in his brakes, said to help stop cramps
Nadal bounces back in the second set (pictured) pushing Medvedev into long baseline rallies
Medvedev was fined for an outrage against the umpire in Friday’s high-octane semifinal win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, who himself was punished for illegal coaching.
Tournament organizers Tennis Australia said on Saturday that in total, it has been fined $69,000 for 24 code violations in the men’s events – compared to just $9,500 against five players in the women’s competitions.
Medvedev, who lashed out at umpire Jaime Campistal after losing serve late in the second set, was fined a combined $12,000 for two code violations, one for audible obscenity and the other for non-playing conduct. for.
The world number two, who will play Rafa Nadal in Sunday’s final at Melbourne Park, lost his cool, while Tsitsipas was accused of illegally receiving in-match coaching from his father after losing the second set. , told Campistal that she was ‘a little cat’. ,
The Greek, who had received a warning for coaching during his four-set loss, was fined $5,000 for the offense and $8,000 for the two earlier similar offences.
Medvedev took the first two sets (pictured) but began to show fatigue in the third
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