Australian Open: Rafael Nadal wins record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title
Rafael Nadal has beaten Daniil Medvedev to win the 2022 Australian Open men's singles title in Melbourne on Sunday. Rafa, who was two sets down against Medvedev, fought back valiantly to win 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. With this win, Rafa has sealed a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title. Nadal has won all the four Grand Slams twice in his career now.
Why does it matter?
This was a marathon five-set duel between two in-form players. Medvedev had the early momentum and looked fresher, taking the first two sets, which included a tie-breaker. However, Nadal rallied back with his customary performance to wear down Medvedev. From being 2-0 down to leveling the show at 2-2 was magnificent. Nadal was too good, showing his class and experience to down Medvedev.
21st Grand Slam title for Nadal
Nadal has now won 21 Grand Slam titles, steering clear of Djokovic and Federer (20 each). This was Rafa's 29th final in total at Grand Slams. He now has a 21-8 win-loss record at Slam finals. Overall, Rafa has a win-loss tally of 298-41 at Grand Slams. His Slam tally reads: AO (2), French Open (13), Wimbledon (2), US Open (4).
AO jinx ends for Nadal
Rafa had won the 2009 Australian Open and since then he lost four finals. Rafa ended as the runner-up here in 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019 respectively. However, he has now ended a 13-year wait. Rafa now has a win-loss record of 76-15 at AO.
Medvedev is 1-3 in Slam finals
This was Medvedev's fourth Grand Slam final and he now has a 1-3 win-loss record. He has finished runner-up on three occasions now - 2022 Australian Open, 2021 Australian Open, 2019 US Open respectively. Medvedev has a 19-6 win-loss record at AO. Overall, he has a 51-19 win-loss record at Grand Slams. He has now lost two successive AO finals (against Djokovic in 2021).
Nadal improves his H2H record vs Medvedev
Nadal has extended his head-to-head tally versus Medvedev in their career meetings. Nadal has beaten the Russian for the fourth time in his career and has a 4-1 win-loss record. Notably, Medvedev had earlier won the previous duel between the two, sealing a 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 at the 2020 ATP Finals in London. However, Nadal leads the H2H tally versus Medvedev at Slams (2-0).
Contrasting records for Nadal and Medvedev
Nadal is yet to be beaten this year. He won the Melbourne Summer Set title before the Australian Open. Nadal won three matches in that tournament, besides getting a walkover as well. Meanwhile, since the start of 2021, Medvedev has a 19-2 win-loss record on hard courts at AO and US Open respectively. Prior to this loss, he had won 13 successive Slam matches.
2022 AO: A look at Nadal's journey
Nadal beat Marcos Giron in the first round (6-1, 6-4, 6-2). He beat Yannick Hanfmann in a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 contest next. In the third round, Nadal beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Nadal overcame Adrian Mannarino 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth round. He beat Denis Shapovalov in a five-set thriller in the quarters before winning against Matteo Berrettini in the semis.
