Struggling with a foot injury, Rafael Nadal played only two matches in the second part of 2021 and ended the season in August. The Spaniard did not know what to expect at the start of 2022, losing both matches at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and catching the coronavirus.
Still, the Spaniard was ready to give his best in Melbourne and play competitive tennis. Feeling good on the practice court and not thinking about winning titles or anything, Nadal found his A-game to claim two titles and write history books at the Australian Open.
The Spaniard conquered the season’s first Major for the first time since 2009 and earned the record-breaking 21st Major title, leaving Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on 20. Gaining a boost at the ATP 250 event in Melbourne despite not playing at his best, Rafa passed all the obstacles at the Australian Open to lift the trophy and prove his everlasting class.
Rafa moved well and did everything right to overcome a couple of challenging rivals and gain the crown. Bjorn Borg watched his matches from home and was delighted with Nadal’s movement, which was not the case in the previous season.
The Spaniard stood on the verge of the fifth consecutive defeat in the Australian Open finals, trailing 6-2, 7-6, 3-2, 40-0 against world no. 2 Daniil Medvedev before performing one of his career-best comebacks to cross the finish line first.
Rafa scored a 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win in five hours and 24 minutes and prevailed in the second-longest Major final in history! Nadal was almost done when he faced those three break points in the third set’s sixth game.
Still, he overcame that game and gained a massive boost to raise his level and fight even harder. Nadal claimed the third set after breaking the opponent with a backhand down the line winner in game nine and forged an early advantage in the fourth.
Rafael Nadal overcame a foot injury to claim the Australian Open title.
Rafa held at love in game ten to wrap up the set and force a decider after four hours and 12 minutes, firmly believing in a complete comeback. Pushing strong, the Spaniard placed a forehand down the line winner in the fifth game to open a 3-2 gap.
Nadal survived a massive scare in the sixth game after fending off three break points and secured the eighth game to forge a 5-3 advantage. Medvedev made one last push and broke back in game ten to level the score at 5-5 and improve his chances.
Staying composed and using his vast experience, Rafa seized the third break chance in the 11th game and sealed the deal on his serve a few minutes later for the record-breaking 21st Major crown. “I watched most of Rafa’s matches from my home in Stockholm.
The best news for him is that he has regained his mobility from a couple of years ago. When I saw him at the last year’s Roland Garros, he did not move the same way, and that may be one of the reasons he lost to Djokovic.
What I did not know is that he was injured. In Australia, I saw the real Rafa again. I can not say much about the GOAT race, but Rafa should be the favorite at Roland Garros,” Bjorn Borg said.