The 2022 Australian Open has come and gone, yet Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty remain the songs on the lips of tennis fans across the globe.
Before the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were all tied on 20 Grand Slam titles each.
The question had always been, ‘Who will be the first among these three great tennis players to grab a 21st Grand Slam title?’
With Federer still recuperating from the knee surgery he underwent in August 2021 and Novak Djokovic denied visa for not being vaccinated against Covid 19, the coast was clear for Spaniard Rafael Nadal to make history: And he did not disappoint.
Nadal took on Daniil Medvedev in their second Grand Slam final meeting. Recall that both men clashed in 2019 US Open, which Nadal also won.
Determine to avenge his 2019 loss, 25 year-old Medvedev gave Nadal a run for his money. At some point in this epic final, Medvedev was two sets up, but Nadal snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a combination of experience and pure grit of determination throughout the grueling five hours the match lasted.
This is Nadal’s second Australian Open title. He has won 13 French Open titles, two Wimbledon titles and four US Open titles.
