Rafael Nadal will face world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open, with a chance to rewrite the record books.
Clive Brunskill / Getty
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Rafael Nadal will face world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open, with a chance to rewrite the record books.
Clive Brunskill / Getty
Rafael Nadal will play in the Australian Open final on Sunday, with a chance to win his 21st Grand Slam. This achievement will set him apart from Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who are currently tied with Nadal with 20 men’s singles titles.
Nadal beat Matteo Berrettini on Friday to reach the final, where he will face world No 2 Daniil Medvedev – who finished second at last year’s Australian Open. Nadal says he doesn’t have to rewrite the record books.
“Honestly, for me it’s much more important to have a chance to play tennis than to win [No.] 21,” Nadal said after the game. “Because it makes me happier, in terms of general life – being able to do what I love to do, than achieving another Grand Slam.”
Nadal says he is very happy simply to be able to compete with the best players in the world again after facing several medical issues. While his knee has long been a concern, Nadal has recently struggled to manage Müller-Weiss disease, a condition that causes chronic pain in the bones in the midfoot.
In Melbourne, Nadal has said that over the past year he has considered the possibility of never playing again.
“I went through so many challenging moments, so many days of hard work without seeing the light there, but still working and getting a lot of support from my teammates and family, no doubt. nothing more,” said Nadal. based on tournament website.
At 35, Nadal will be the fourth oldest man to play in an Australian Open final in the Open Era. He owns an Australian Open singles title since 2009, out of a total of five appearances in the final of this tournament.
Medvedev, 25, will begin a campaign in 2021 that will end with him winning the US Open, his first Grand Slam title.
The Australian Open final could be decisive: while Nadal is a longtime fan favorite on tour, Medvedev has repeatedly wowed fans at his matches. he is in Australia.
Medvedev shouted in frustration during his lengthy 4th round meeting with Maxime Cressy, which included yelling at the referee. He later apologized for talking about the match, “This is boring.”
Medvedev then defeated the charismatic Australian Nick Kyrgios – and say fans who were shouting for their hometown hero “probably has a low IQ.”
And on Wednesday, Medvedev set off a chorus of boos in a post-match interview on the field, when he said his strategy to win the hard way came after he questioned himself. Dear, “What will Novak do?”
After a dramatic and controversial match, Djokovic was expelled from Australia before he could compete in the tournament due to his refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
