To set a new all-time record for men's Grand Slam titles won, Rafael Nadal authored an all-time comeback.
From two sets down in Rod Laver Arena, he sealed a second Australian Open crown—and 21st in total—over Daniil Medvedev, 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5, in a match that started on Sunday night in Melbourne and finished in the wee hours of Monday morning.
The win breaks Nadal's three-way tie with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, each of whom have captured 20 major singles titles—but in more ways than one, it was never assured. A foot injury had Nadal sidelined since August and forced him to miss the US Open last summer. When he returned to start 2022, questions lingered as to what Nadal fans would see. He answered them admirably.
After winning two trophies in Melbourne—first, the ATP 250 and now, the biggest prize—he'll leave Australia undefeated for the year so far.
"One month and a half ago, I didn't know if I was going to be back on the tour playing tennis again," Nadal said in his on-court victory speech, "and now I'm here in front of all of you, having this trophy with me... Without a doubt, this has probably been one of the most emotional months in my tennis career."
He continued: "One month and a half ago, I would say that maybe there was a chance that this could be my last Australian Open, but now, there's plenty of energy to keep going."
The five-hour, 24-minute victory, too, was one for the history books.
If we put everything together, the scenario, the momentum, what [it] means, yeah, without a doubt probably [this has] been the biggest comeback of my tennis career. - Rafael Nadal
For the first time since 2007, Nadal rallied from two-sets-to-love down in a Grand Slam match. After cruising in the first, Medvedev edged out a tight second in which Nadal led 5-3 and later had set point. The Russian also had his chances in the third. In the sixth game, Nadal crucially held serve from Love-40 down for 3-3, and broke serve at 4-4 en route to extending the match.
From there, the comeback was on, and the chase for history resumed—but he needed two chances to close it out in the end.
Nadal held on to take the fourth after the pair traded breaks of serve early on: in a crucial 2-2 game, he denied Medvedev two chances to take the lead, and took the lead for good in the set on his seventh break point. He later saved two break points to lead 5-3, and it was in the fifth where the drama peaked after Nadal was the first to break serve at 2-2.
A six-deuce game, where he denied Medvedev three chances to level at 3-3, extended Nadal's lead to 4-2. As the match clock ticked over into its sixth hour, he stepped to the line to serve for the championship.
From 30-0, though, there was another plot twist in store: while Medvedev won four straight points to stay in it, Nadal would make no mistake a second time.
He broke once more, for a seventh time in the match, and held serve to love to complete his historic feat.
"[It] was a huge match. Rafa played unreal. Raised his level. I mean, two sets to love up, I was like, 'C'mon, just go for him, go for more,'" Medvedev said in defeat.
"In fifth set, I was like, 'Make him run.' He was unreal. He was really strong, like the way he played, at four hours I was even surprised. But, of course, we know how Rafa can play. He didn't play for six months. He told me after the match that he didn't practice so much. It was unreal.
"Talking about tennis, I have not much regrets. I'm going to try to continue my best. I'm going to work even harder to try to be a champion of some of these great tournaments one day."
Nadal is the second man in the Open Era, and only the fourth man in history, to complete the career Grand Slam twice, after having previously won the Australian Open in 2009. Djokovic became the first man to achieve the feat by winning his second title at Roland Garros last year.
He also joins Federer and Ken Rosewall as the only men to win the Australian Open at age 35 or older, and becomes the third-oldest man to win any major title in the Open Era. It's his seventh Grand Slam title since turning 30, and 90th tour-level title in all.
