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sports Dialuna 31 Januari 2022

Nadal wins Australian Open for record 21st major title

(AP) — Searching for in-
spiration when he was “Tonight has been unforget-
down two sets and facing table. I feel very lucky.”
triple break point, with his
prospects of winning a re- Nadal was broken when
cord 21st Grand Slam title serving to serve it out for the
almost shot, Rafael Nadal first time at 5-4 in the fifth
thought back to some of set, but he made no mistake
his most difficult defeats. two games later, converting
the first of his championship
A renowned right-to-the-end points.
competitor, Nadal dug deep
in that critical moment and Taking everything into ac-
won the next four points to count, “the scenario, the mo-
survive the immediate threat mentum,” he said, ”without
from Daniil Medvedev. Min- a doubt probably the biggest
utes later he held for 3-3 in comeback of my tennis ca-
the third set and swung the reer.”
momentum of the Australian
Open final around. Certainly, he added, “The
most unexpected. And most
Nadal eventually did get to 21 surprising, I think, for every-
first, setting the men’s record one.”
for most Grand Slam singles
titles after a dramatic 2-6, 6-7 Federer and Djokovic were
(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 comeback watching, from a distance,
win that lasted 5 hours and and both used social media
24 minutes and finished early messages to offer congratu-
Monday morning. lations to Nadal for breaking
their three-way tie atop the “Good evening. No, good Open era to win his second
The 35-year-old Spaniard men’s Grand Slam standings. morning!” Nadal joked, Grand Slam title at the very Medvedev continued his
now has one more major title looking at his watch. next major, was ever-so-close love-hate relationship with
than Roger Federer and No- Nadal and Medvedev packed to spoiling another 21st cel- Australian crowds. He stayed
vak Djokovic, his long-time a lot of drama into the final In the background, Rod La- ebration. calm for the first two sets be-
rivals in the so-called Big that started Sunday night, ver, the ageing Australian fore complaining about the
Three. was delayed in the 84-min- tennis great for whom Mel- Djokovic was chasing the yelling and noise between
ute second set when a human bourne Park’s main stadium same record at the U.S. Open first and second serves.
He was the only one of three rights activist jumped onto is named, was holding up his last year, and a calendar-year
who had a chance to claim the court, and finished close smartphone to capture the Grand Slam, when Medve- After Nadal broke him in the
the record solo in Australia. to 1:15 a.m. scenes. A woman nearby held dev beat him in straight sets third game of the fourth set,
up a sign that stated: “Rafa is in the final. on a double-fault, Medvedev
Federer is still recover- Nadal was serving for the the GOAT.” walked to the changeover
ing from knee surgery and second set but was broken in Federer also had his chance giving an ironic thumbs-up
Djokovic was sensationally that game. Then Medvedev For now, in terms of men’s at 21, but Djokovic stopped to the crowd.
deported from Australia on had his moments to break major titles at least, Nadal is that after saving match points
the eve of the tournament again in the third set but ad- the Greatest Of All Time. en route to winning the 2019 There was an exchange of
because he wasn’t vaccinated mitted he got tight. Wimbledon final. breaks but Nadal got the up-
against COVID-19. Nadal praised Medvedev for per hand after a long game
“Should have done better. the part he played in what For Nadal, this was just the when he converted his sev-
It’s all history now that Nadal Should have hit a winner,” eventually became the second fourth time — and first since enth breakpoint.
has become just the fourth Medvedev said. “Maybe longest Australian Open final 2007 — he’s rallied from two
man to win all four of the would have won the match.” ever. Nadal’s loss to Djokovic sets down to win a best-of- Medvedev urged chair um-
sport’s major titles at least a decade ago lasted 5:53. five-set match. It’s the first pire John Blom to shut the
twice. “Tactically nothing changed,” time it has happened at the crowd up.
he added, “but Rafa stepped Nadal’s 21st major title was Australian Open final since
“I was repeating to myself up.” even more remarkable con- 1965. “Step up, man. It’s the final of
during the whole match, ‘I sidering he had two matches a Grand Slam. ‘Please’ is not
lost a lot of times here hav- Indeed, he did. And at 1:30 under his belt in the second Medvedev, who lost the enough,” he said. “They’re
ing chances, sometimes I was a.m. he stepped up onto the half of 2021 because he was 2021 final in Melbourne to idiots. With idiots, ‘please’
a little bit unlucky,’” Nadal podium to give his victory sidelined with a chronic foot Djokovic, began his post- doesn’t work.”
said. “I just wanted to keep speech. injury. He also overcame a match news conference by
believing until the end.” bout of COVID-19. talking about having been After Medvedev served a
“a young kid who dreamed double-fault to open the fifth
“For me, it’s just amazing,” about big things in tennis” set, Blom warned the crowd
he said, adding that it was who now has become a bit that anyone yelling between
only six weeks ago “I didn’t disillusioned. He spoke a first and second serves could
know if I’d be able to play on little later about being disap- get kicked out by security.
the tour again.” pointed in the way spectators
treated him in the final and Medvedev did manage to
Nadal won his first Austra- earlier in the tournament. hold that game but in the end
lian Open title in 2009 and he didn’t quite have the en-
then lost four other finals “From now on, I’m playing durance.
here. His conversion rate in for myself,” Medvedev said.
major finals is now 21 out of “For my family. To provide “I want to congratulate Rafa,”
29. (for) my family, for people he said. “What he did to-
that trust in me. Of course day was amazing. You’re an
Medvedev, who was aim- for all the Russians, because amazing champion.”
ing to be the first man in the I feel a lot of support there.”