Sixth seed Rafael Nadal created history at Rod Laver
Arena as he won the coveted Australian Open men’s singles Grand Slam title for
the second time on Sunday, bouncing back from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev. The match was
attended by legendary Australian tennis player Rod Laver, 83, as Nadal and
Medvedev played out an epic final.

Also Read: Who is Rafael Nadal?

In a remarkable 5 hours 24 minutes match, Nadal won the match 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. 

With this Australian Open title, Nadal became the male
player with the most Grand Slam singles title in the history of tennis. This is
his 21st Grand Slam singles title. He surpassed Roger Federer and
Novak Djokovic, who was deported from Australia for not taking vaccine doses against
COVID-19. Both Federer and Djokovic have 20 Grand Slam titles each.

Also Read: Australian Open Final: ‘Villain’ Daniil Medvedev takes on fans as he is booed

Nadal
last won the Australian Open in 2009.     

‘I am just destroyed’

“I am just destroyed now,” Rafa told Eurosport. He can’t believe how he “resisted a match like this” – that’s a gorgeous turn of phrase – and again praises Medvedev.

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Nadal also congratulated Medvedev for
playing such a tough match.

In the post-match presentation ceremony, he
talked about the most emotional matches of his career, saying it’s an “honour” to
have shared the court with his opponent.

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Nadal also said that he was not sure about
playing in the Australian Open because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also
expressed his gratitude to the supportive Australian fans and thanked his
family for the support over a tough 18 months.

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Medvedev congratulates Nadal

Medvedev, meanwhile, congratulated Nadal for the remarkable achievement. “I want to congratulate Rafa because what you did what was amazing … After the match I asked him – “Are you tired?”

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“The level was very high … you raised your level after two sets … Congrats, it was unbelievable, and congrats to your team, of course,” said Medvedev, who failed in the Australian Open final for the second time.