Australian Open—Melbourne, Australia
Spanish legend Rafael Nadal won his second Australian Open title and 21st career Major on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia with a 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev.
Needing five hours and 24 minutes to prevail, Nadal overcame 23 aces and a two sets to love deficit to grab his fourth victory in five meetings versus the Russian.
Returning to the Tour after foot surgery last year, Nadal now leads his two main rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the Grand Slam race with his 21 titles. Hitting 69 winners to 68 unforced errors, Nadal withstood 76 winners and 52 unforced errors from his opponent.
Having last won the Australian Open in 2009, Nadal will be ranked No. 5 in the world when Monday’s rankings are released. The Spaniard, now 35, continues to show that his fighting spirit is unparalleled in the sport.
Medvedev, who was attempting to backup his maiden Grand Slam title in New York with a victory Down Under, currently stands at No. 2 in the world and 890 points behind world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Serbian great missed the event after he was deported before the start of the first round.
The tennis tour will now set its sights of Roland Garros (the year’s second major), which will begin in late May in Paris, France.
