Image courtesy of Unsplash.
After losing the first two sets in the Australian Open final, Jan. 30, 2022, Rafael Nadal could have shamelessly smashed his racket on the Melbourne court. The 35-year old Spaniard was down 2-6, 6-7 to world No.2, Daniil Medvedev, in what was projected to be his last Australian Open appearance before retirement. Medvedev would only need one more set to win, a brutal indication of imminent defeat for Nadal that would’ve prompted even the most composed pro-tennis player to slam their gear in frustration, but Rafa clung to his class and sportsmanship. He has distinguished himself as a player whose racket only hits the ground when it is dropped in celebration, and after 5-hours and 24-minutes of unbelievable tennis, we watched it fall in glory.
Three weeks into January, under the hot Melbourne sun, Rafael Nadal began his trek through the early rounds of the AO tournament. As a top-seed narrowing in on 4o-years of age, his mobility, stamina, and speed measured up impressively to the athleticism of much younger, agile players. Nadal was in great shape, but both his supporters and official commentators of the sport were grappling with a feeling unfamiliar to their bank of emotions towards the clay-court conqueror: doubt.
Just six months prior, Rafael Nadal was preparing to say his goodbyes to tennis. His on-court victories had ceased indefinitely due to severe complications with Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative disease causing bone deformity in the central part of the foot. The diagnosis was nothing new, Nadal was 19 and merely 4 years into his professional career when doctors detected the condition in 2005. His foot necessitated what would’ve been a career-shattering surgical operation; they imagined he might never play competitively again, but thoughts of a tennis world without the tenacious, left-handed striker were soon reduced to nonsensical “what-ifs.’
Rafa found a way to manage the pain, winning his first French Open the same year. Few imagined the humble Spaniard would dominate the tournament a record 12 more times to become the beloved “King of Clay”, fewer imagined he’d be raising a trophy in the 2022 Australian Open. An exhausted Rafael Nadal articulated his own disbelief during a post-match conference in Melbourne, “I was not ready physically for this kind of battle, honestly. I am super, super tired in all ways. I can’t even celebrate. But it was the day to give everything, no?” He added: “I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the fight. I enjoyed the emotions. At the end to have this trophy with me means everything.”
Nadal now stands alone as the most decorated men’s tennis player in history. He holds a record-breaking 21 career grand slam titles, a feat which has also broken the iconic three-way tie between himself, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, who each have 20. “A few months ago we were joking about both being on crutches. Amazing. Never underestimate a great champion,” wrote Federer in an online message to his decades-long rival. From Novak Djokovic, “Congratulations to @rafaelnadal for 21st GS. Amazing achievement.” The Serbian world No.1 had missed his own opportunity to triumph in Australia following his deportation from the country just hours before the first match. Many questions have arisen regarding Novak’s future as an unvaccinated tennis player. Daniil Medvedev more recently denied him his 21st title late last year in the US Open Finals, Nadal was not ready to accept a similar defeat. He battled Medvedev to the very end, leaping across the court, in the final set, to strike a backhand volley that his Russian opponent would send breathlessly into the net. Game, Nadal. His racket would fall in acceptance that he was not just the King of Clay…he was the greatest of all time.
