The past two weeks of the men’s singles competition at this year’s Australian Open have seen grueling rises to the top for Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal—and when the two met in Melbourne Park for the tournament’s final earlier today, it was for a match that will inevitably go down as one of the most memorable in Nadal’s career.
In an exhilarating back-and-forth that ran for almost five and a half hours, both players were at the peak of their powers. It was Nadal, however, who rallied from two sets down to storm to a record-breaking victory, becoming the first player to win 21 Grand Slams in men’s singles. In doing so, the 35-year-old Spanish player overtakes both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who have 20 each under their belts.
Medvedev took the first set without much of a hitch following a series of mistakes from Nadal, before an epic 84-minute second set that saw Nadal continue to trail before eventually reaching a tiebreak. He began to claw his way back to a fighting chance, even as Medvedev took the set 6-4. A nail-biting third set saw Nadal down 2-3, 0-40, when he began to turn his game back around, eventually taking the set 6-4. After he won the fourth set 6-4 too, the energy of the crowd—who made it clear from the beginning that their allegiance laid with Nadal—began to swell, with boos and jeers directed at Medvedev that led to reprimands from the chair umpire and a visibly frustrated Medvedev.
The final set was decided after Nadal began to break Medvedev’s serve, and despite a brief wobble, he held his nerve to bring home a stunning, career-best victory. The win was all the sweeter not just for the uproarious support he received from those watching but also in light of Nadal’s long history of injuries—most notably, the foot injury he has suffered since childhood, which forced him to take a six-month break last year (and almost made him leave tennis). Having not played an official match since last August—and having tested positive for COVID at the end of December—Nadal’s ability to participate in this year’s Australian Open was far from certain, making his win even more phenomenal.
“It has been one of the most emotional matches in my tennis career, and to share the court with [Medvedev] was an honor,” Nadal said during his on-court interview. “I don’t even know what to say—for me, it’s just amazing.” He also took the opportunity to thank his team and his family for their support during what he acknowledged has been a challenging year. “The last year and a half has been hard, and in the low moments, you have been there to support me. Without you guys, none of this would be possible. Being honest, one and a half months ago, I didn’t know if I would be back on the tour playing tennis again, and today I am here in front of you with the trophy again. You don’t know how much I fought to be here. Thank you so much for the love and support.”
The women’s race at the Australian Open, which drew to a close yesterday with Ashleigh Barty’s victory over Danielle Collins, proved similarly thrilling. This was partly due to the absence of some of the tournament’s usual heavy hitters—the Williams sisters and last year’s runner-up, Jennifer Brady, among them—and early outs for some of the players expected to mount serious challenges to Barty, who was the widely tipped favorite for the top spot. These included two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka, who lost to Amanda Anisimova in the third round, and a possible wild card in the form of last year’s U.S. Open winner, Emma Raducanu, who lost to the Montenegrin world number 98 Danka Kovinić in the second.
Yesterday’s final, however, served as Barty’s well-deserved moment in the spotlight, as she played a stunning match against (an equally fierce, it’s worth noting) Collins and became the first home player to take the top trophy at Melbourne Park since Chris O’Neil in 1978. “This is just a dream come true for me, and I’m so proud to be an Aussie,” Barty said after her win. “This crowd is one of the most fun I’ve ever played in front of, and you guys brought me so much joy out here today. You forced me to play my best tennis.”
Praise for Barty from Australian tennis luminaries including Rod Laver, Pat Rafter, and her personal hero, the fellow Indigenous player and former world number one Evonne Goolagong Cawley, came flooding in after the match, while the Australian TV network Channel Nine confirmed it was one of the most viewed women’s finals on record. (Tennis fans also took to the streets of Melbourne last night to celebrate, in what was termed a Barty party.)
With Nadal storming to a record-breaking victory playing some of the most impressive tennis of his career and Barty solidifying her place as a next-generation Australian tennis icon, it was undoubtedly—and given the tournament’s shaky start, perhaps unexpectedly—an Australian Open for the ages.
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