Rafael Nadal finally got to the magic number of 21, breaking the tie with his great contemporaries Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Their progress in this Grand Slam race over almost two decades has hooked tennis fans and prompted various arguments in the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate.
The 35-year-old Spanish has gone on to win a record 21st grand slam title by defeating his Russian challenger in the Australian Open men’s singles final in Melbourne. He won with an extraordinary 2-6 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 7-5 come-from-behind victory over Daniil Medvedev at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night.
Nadal’s second Australian Open title comes 13 years after his first in 2009, and broke a run of four straight losses in the 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019 Melbourne Park finals.
The Spaniard now has a 21-8 record in major finals, and Sunday’s win was his fourth in succession in major deciders since he lost the 2019 Melbourne final to Djokovic Medvedev was aiming to become the first man in the Open Era to win his second major at the next Grand Slam following his first, which came at last year’s US Open when he denied Djokovic in the final.
It’s the second straight final loss for the Russian in Australia, denied in the decider by Djokovic last February, and he falls to 1-3 in Grand Slam finals.
That’s quite an incredible journey for the man who has built his legacy with tales of grit and fight. A second triumph at Melbourne Park for 2009 champion Nadal means Nadal has broken a three-way tie for the most major titles in the men’s game, with the Spaniard nosing ahead of rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
