Australian Open 2022: Rafael Nadal scores record 21st Grand Slam title
Rafael Nadal will have a chance to beat Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the Grand Slams won after reaching the Australian Open final with a four-set victory over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.
Sixth seed Nadal beat Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in 2 hours and 55 minutes on Friday, firmly holding onto his second Australian Open title in the final. six.
Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have the most Grand Slam titles with 20 each. The Spaniard could move up to 21 with a win over Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final.
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Seventh seed Berrettini struggled to advance at Rod Laver Arena. His serve broke on the first attempt in the first set before Nadal served in the set.
The 25-year-old Italian has been battling to recover. He dropped his first two serve games in the second set, with his 35-year-old opponent racing 4-0.
Nadal comfortably served in the second set to establish a tight game. Berrettini didn’t seem to have any answers.
Berrettini managed to keep serve in the first game of the third set and, after playing harder than a few games on his own racquet, cracked Nadal in the eighth game before serving.
It looked like Berrettini was building momentum throughout the fourth set, but Nadal was sure to break the eighth game and then serve in the next.