Rafael Nadal arrived at the 2022 Australian Open with plenty of questions surrounding his future. A foot injury had kept him away from the court for months, and there had been moments when he was unsure
whether he would be able to continue playing. At 35, with Roger Federer also sidelined and Novak Djokovic absent from the tournament, Nadal had an opportunity to make history. What followed became one of the greatest comebacks of his career.
Nadal had won the Australian Open only once before, back in 2009. He had suffered painful defeats in the finals of 2012 and 2017, and his chances of adding another title in Melbourne appeared uncertain. However, he worked his way through the draw and reached the final, where Daniil Medvedev stood between him and a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.
The comeback that gave Rafael Nadal his 21st Grand Slam Title
Medvedev, who was the defending US Open champion, started confidently. He broke Nadal’s serve and took the opening set 6-2, using his powerful groundstrokes and consistency to keep the Spaniard under pressure. The second set offered Nadal a chance to recover. He built leads of 4-1 and 5-3, but Medvedev fought back and eventually won the tie-break 7-5. With a two-set advantage, the Russian was just one set away from his second consecutive Grand Slam title.
Rafael Nadal had not recovered from two sets down in a Grand Slam match since Wimbledon in 2007. The odds were against him, but he refused to surrender. The turning point came in the third set. Nadal saved three break points at 0-40 when trailing 2-3, then broke Medvedev at 4-4 to take control. He won the set 6-4, giving himself a way back into the contest.
As the match stretched beyond four hours, Nadal began to find his rhythm. His forehand became more effective, he varied his shots and he used drop shots to pull Medvedev away from the baseline. The Russian continued to fight, but Nadal’s confidence was growing with every game. Nadal won the fourth set 6-4, forcing a decider after more than four hours of tennis. The fifth set brought another twist when Nadal broke Medvedev and moved towards victory. Yet, just as the finish line appeared close, he was broken while serving for the championship at 5-4.
For a moment, the match seemed ready to slip away again. Nadal responded by breaking Medvedev once more before serving out the contest, winning 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 after five hours and 24 minutes. The victory gave Nadal his second Australian Open title and 21st Grand Slam singles crown, moving him ahead of Federer and Djokovic, who had 20 each at the time. It was also the first time he had won a major final after losing the first two sets.
