Nadal's Melbourne miracle
Rafael Nadal’s victory at the Australian Open, which made him the sole owner of the record for the most Grand Slam singles tennis titles among men, defied belief. In Nadal’s own words, his 21st Grand Slam victory — which put him one step ahead of great rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic — was ‘most unexpected’. Even though we have come to expect the unexpected from these three great athletes, Nadal is absolutely right — as little as two weeks ago, no one could have imagined that come January 30, Nadal would be holding aloft the Australian Open trophy. The odds were stacked against him. Troubled by a serious foot injury, Nadal had not played for most of the previous six months. He skipped the US Open in August-September to undergo foot surgery, which left him on crutches for some time.
Nadal recovered from the surgery only in December, and for him to then win the top prize in one of tennis’ four toughest tournaments, against a much younger rival, speaks volumes for his mental and physical toughness. He had lost the first two sets in the final against Daniil Medvedev — who had dashed Djokovic’s hopes of his 21st Grand Slam title at the US Open in September — and the writing was on the wall. Nadal, however, chose not to look at the wall — he simply raised his level of play and fought with trademark fierceness, chasing every ball as if his life depended on it. The crowd backed him — often showing disrespect to Medvedev — and the Spaniard responded. He came roaring back, winning the final three sets, the first time in his career that he came back from two sets down to win a Grand Slam final.
Nadal at 35 is as fiery and passionate as he was as a teenager when he won his first French Open crown in 2005. His win in Australia will reignite the ‘greatest of all time’ debate — last year, Djokovic made a great case for himself by winning three Grand Slam titles and reaching the final of the fourth, the US Open. Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have made the last 20 years very special, and for a fan of tennis, these are the best times to be alive in. Nadal underscored this on Sunday night.
