Rafael Nadal slumped on his knees, face buried in his palm, paused in that position for a few seconds, possibly in appreciation of the victory that had finally yielded, following four losses in the title round. Then he rose, much like he had at the focal point of the final, and turning to a cheering full house, he let their encores shower over him.
After 5 hours and 24 minutes game, Nadal called the biggest comeback of his historic career – down two-sets-to-love and a drift forehand away from falling behind by a break in the third – he wrote a stunning turnaround to score a 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory over world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev.
For Nadal, it was a record-breaking 21st major title, which put him above of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and also his second Australian Open crown that settled him in an elite club of players who have triumphed each of the four Grand Slams at least twice.
“This has been one of the most emotional matches of my career,” Nadal stated.
“One and a half months ago, I didn’t know if I would be playing tennis again, how much I fought to be here. Thank you all for the support, you are all just amazing. It’s gonna stay in my heart for the rest of my life,” he appended.
