Australian Open
Melbourne (AP) – Rafael Nadal is now only missing one win for the 21st title and Grand Slam record: After months of pain and doubts and talks about the end of his tennis career, the Spaniard is reaching for the triumph at the Australian Open .
On Sunday (9.30 a.m. German time/Eurosport), the 35-year-old can become the sole number one in the extremely prestigious statistics with a final win against Russian US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. He would set himself apart from his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer equal
“I think Novak will also watch this match in two days,” said Medvedev with a grin in the winner’s interview. And if Nadal triumphs, Djokovic, who was initially traded much higher, would find his defeat in the federal court and the forced departure from Australia even more bitter. “I had to suffer, I had to fight. It means a lot to me to be back in the final here, »said an overjoyed Nadal after his 6: 3, 6: 2, 3: 6, 6: 3 in the Melbourne semifinals on Friday against Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini. His only Melbourne success was 13 years ago: “I never thought of another chance in 2022.”
Also in view of the question marks behind his participation in the Australian Open, Nadal only shrugged his shoulders when asked about the historic tennis milestone. He doesn’t take statistics as seriously as he credibly asserted. “For me it’s more important to be here in the final of the Australian Open and to fight to win the Australian Open again than the other statistics that may be important for the history of the sport,” said the fifth in the world rankings: ” I’m just happy to be a part of this amazing tennis era. That’s all. Somehow it doesn’t matter if one achieves one more or one less. We’ve all done amazing things.”
In the race for the Grand Slam titles, which has been fascinating for a long time, the big three are currently on the same level: Nadal, like the Swiss Federer, who is pausing because of his long-term knee problems, and the Serbian world number one Djokovic, have collected 20 trophies in the four most important tournaments.
Good prospects for triumph
Nadal’s prospects are now bright, provided the fitness is sufficient for another match after his long compulsory break. However, he has to beat the strong second in the world rankings, Medvedev, who is aiming for his second Grand Slam triumph after his coup in New York. Medvedev won the emotional semi-final against Greek world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas 7: 6 (7: 5), 4: 6, 6: 4, 6: 1.
Last year’s finalist Medvedev vehemently scolded referee Jaume Campistol and complained about what he saw as coaching from Tsitsipas’ father, who was the coach in the stands. “You’re so bad, man,” the 25-year-old Russian shouted outraged at 4: 5 in the second set: “How can you be so bad in the semifinals of a Grand Slam?” Medvedev is now contesting his fourth Grand Slam final. Unforgotten in the tennis scene is the 2019 US Open final, which Nadal won in five sets after ups and downs against Medvedev.
Nadal’s stats are impressive: the veteran reached his 29th Grand Slam final. On Sunday, Nadal can become the fourth men’s player to have won each of the four Grand Slam tournaments at least twice.
Nadal: “Playing tennis is a gift”
After “very difficult” six months, Nadal amazes himself. “A month and a half ago I didn’t know if I could get back on the tour because we couldn’t solve the problem,” he said: “Here I am and I am thankful for. That’s all. It’s a gift just to be here and play tennis. I take things a little differently now. At the end of the day, I’ll be honest, it’s more important to me to have the chance to play tennis again than to win the 21st.”
The left-hander skipped Wimbledon last year, missed the Olympic Games and the US Open, and hasn’t played a tournament since August. Foot problems were an issue every day. Sometimes he was only able to play tennis for 20 minutes, sometimes 45 minutes – and sometimes not at all. Thoughts of a Grand Slam match were far away. “I had many challenging moments – many days of hard work without seeing a light.” He spoke to his team and family about whether it was time to say goodbye.
In the semifinals against the Italian world number seven Berrettini, Nadal played two sets terrific. In the third sentence he became more tired, the ten years younger Roman better. But before the match got too complicated, Nadal grabbed. The decision came in the eighth game of the fourth set, when Berrettini with forehand errors favored the break for Nadal’s 500th hard court win.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220128-99-882230/7
Rafael Nadal plays a backhand return. Photo: Andy Brownbill/AP/dpa
© Andy Brownbill (dpa)–
