Spaniard Rafael Nadal defeated Russian Daniil Medvedev (2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 and 7-5) in a dramatic final at the Australian Open to remain alone at the top of the ranking of top Grand Slams winners.
Melbourne, January 31 (RHC/PL)-- Spaniard Rafael Nadal defeated Russian Daniil Medvedev (2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 and 7-5) in a dramatic final at the Australian Open to remain alone at the top of the ranking of top Grand Slams winners.
The 35-year-old Balearic tennis player overcame the demons of confusion after the last six months full of doubts due to injuries and brought out his champion's cast in a match that meant his twenty-first majors and broke the tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who complete the Big Three.
With a comeback included in front of a near-delirious crowd, the Manacor-born player used his experience to minimize Medvedev's momentum, whose game was to win his second victory in this kind of events and reach the top of the world ranking.
It was more than five hours of high tension on the main court of the Rod Laver Arena multipurpose stadium, where the Russian reached a staggering 23 aces, but succumbed in a magical atmosphere, wrapped in drama, which gave his rival his second trophy in Melbourne.
With the first two sets in his favor, everything seemed to indicate that Medvedev, whose 25 years of age suggest an even more incredible future in this sport, would topple another giant as he did last September in the final of the U.S. Open, when he minimized the Serbian Djokovic.
However, the Iberian ratified his greatness and stroke after stroke, like someone typing his life story, completed a true work of art that almost makes you forget his visit to the operating room five months ago, recovery after contracting the Covid-19 and those ideas of keeping the racquets in a drawer before so many vicissitudes.
With the last point of the match and amid applause, Nadal raised arms that carried in 2005 his first Grand Slam trophy, while the Eurasian looked astonished at his incombustible opponent, whose mental strength touches unsuspected levels.
Thus, the updated table of leading exponents in Majors shows Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, both with 20, in the top three places, ahead of Pete Sampras (14) and Bjorn Borg (11).
