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Nadal comes from two sets down to make history with record 21st Slam

Rafael Nadal roared back from two sets down to win a titanic five-set duel with Daniil Medvedev and claim a record 21st Grand Slam men's title in the Australian Open final on Sunday.

rafa nadal wins australian open
The final went down to the bitter end with Nadal being broken as he served for the championship only for the Spaniard to break back.Photo: William WEST/AFP

The Spanish great looked dead and buried as the Russian world number two carved out a two-set lead but Nadal surged home for one of his mightiest comeback wins 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in 5hr 24min on Rod Laver Arena.

Nadal came out on top in the physical war of attrition to move ahead of era rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the all-time list of men’s major winners.

Djokovic missed his chance to improve on his nine Australian Open wins when he was deported over vaccination issues on the eve of the tournament, while Federer is injured.

It was one of the 35-year-old Spanish warrior’s greatest title victories in his 29th Grand Slam final winning his second Australian Open, 13 years after his first in 2009.

Nadal also became only the fourth man to win each of the four Grand Slams twice and the third oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title, behind Ken Rosewall and Federer.

The final went down to the bitter end with Nadal being broken as he served for the championship only for the Spaniard to break back.

On his second attempt to serve it out, Nadal powered to three match points to win amid chaotic scenes in his player’s box and the frenzied crowd.

It is the fourth time in his storied career that Nadal had clawed back to win from two sets down and the second time Nadal had denied Medvedev in a Grand Slam final, winning a five-set epic at the 2019 US Open.

It crowned an extraordinary effort from Nadal at the year’s opening major, having to modify his game to compensate for a degenerative bone disease in his left foot that ended his 2021 season last August.

He then caught Covid in December which, he said, made him “very sick”.

Medvedev had wrecked Djokovic’s calendar Grand Slam push and bid for a 21st title in New York four months ago and was aiming to do the same to Nadal in Melbourne.

Medvedev lost his second consecutive Australian Open final after falling in straight sets to Djokovic in last year’s final.

Nadal now leads Medvedev 4-1, with the Russian also losing to the Spanish lefty in his first major final at the 2019 US Open over five sets.

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

Spain’s Nadal and Alcaraz to play tennis doubles together at Olympics

Spanish tennis legend Rafa Nadal (38) will join forces with his heir to the throne Carlos Alcaraz (21) in the tennis doubles tournament at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Spain's Nadal and Alcaraz to play tennis doubles together at Olympics

French Open champions Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have been named in the Spain team for the 2024 Olympic Games, the Spanish tennis federation (RFET) announced Wednesday. Even more exciting is the announcement that they will play together in the doubles tournament.

World number two Alcaraz last weekend won his first Roland Garros title on the clay in Paris, where the Olympic tournament will take place from July 27th to August 4th.

Nadal boasts 22 Grand Slam victories, including a record 14 French Open titles, but only returned to competition last April after missing the best part of 16 months through injury and is currently ranked 264 in the world.

The Spanish men’s squad is completed by world number 32 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Pablo Carreño and number two-ranked doubles player Marcel Granollers.

On the women’s side, Spanish number one Sara Sorribes and world number 67 Cristina Bucsa have been included in the team.

Injury-plagued former world number two Paula Badosa – now ranked 118 – will not be included in the squad for Paris.

“We have the chance of winning two or three medals (at the Olympics),” said RFET president Miguel Diaz Roman.

All national federations must produce their final list for the Games by June 19 at the latest.

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