By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Blackjack for Rafael Nadal.
The ferocious Spanish left-hander won a record-breaking 21st men’s singles title at a major championship with a superbly tenacious 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory in five hours and 24 minutes.
It marked the first time Nadal came back from two-sets-to-love down in 15 years and it was the first time a player came back from 0-2 down in an Australian final since Fred Stolle turned the trick on Roy Emerson.
The tournament victory separates Nadal from his chief rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who now both stand in second place all-time among men with 20 majors each.
Nadal’s hand of “Grand Slam” blackjack now consist of a “2” in Australia (he also won in 2009) and a “2” at Wimbledon and “ace” and a “2” at Roland Garros (13 titles) and a “4” at the U.S. Open.
Medvedev seemed poised to win his second straight major title after his U.S. Open victory leading two sets to love and looking at 2-3, 0-40 advantage on Nadal’s serve. Medvedev, however, seemed to tighten up on the cusp of the title and Nadal squeezed out the third set and continued his momentum into the fourth and fifth sets. Nadal actually served for the title at 5-4 in the fifth set, but faltered. However, he quickly gathered himself to break Medvedev right back and serve out the match at love.
Medvedev denied Djokovic his chance to win a 21st major – and the Grand Slam sweep of all four majors in a singles calendar year – in the U.S. Open and hoped to again be the tennis history spoiler. Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion, was unable to play the event due to Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rules for entry into the country. Federer has struggled with knee injuries over the last two years and, at age 40, will appear to be a long-shot to again contend for major singles titles.
