As Rafael Nadal initiated another run at the Australian Open, he was as curious as anyone else about how well his game and body would serve him. He had endured a six-month layoff due to a chronic foot injury and a tough bout of Covid, and arrived in Melbourne having barely spent time on court in the preceding weeks. The hope, he said, was that he would keep himself in the tournament long enough to continue improving.
He maintained his presence on Tuesday but it took all he had. He led Denis Shapovalov by two sets, only for the Canadian to pull Nadal all the way back into a desperate fifth set. After four hours, Nadal rose to win 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 and reach his seventh semi-final here.
Nadal was asked how he managed to turn the match around. He shook his head: “I don’t know,” he said. “I was completely destroyed after that. Very tough day, very warm.
“I didn’t practise for this. I was a little lucky at the beginning of the fifth. At the beginning of the match I was playing great, then I know how difficult it is to play against a player like Denis.”
Nadal was extremely sharp from the start as he took hold of the match. He served well in the first two sets, found a high number of forehands and dominated with it from the middle of the court. Shapovalov initially exhibited all of the worst parts of his game. He was erratic and unreliable, his forehand sprayed errors and he complemented Nadal’s excellent serving with dire returns.
Early in the second set, Shapovalov directed his frustration at the time Nadal took between points. After an argument with the umpire, Carlos Bernardes, he shouted: “You guys are all corrupt.”
While the 22-year-old is likely to face scrutiny – and could be fined – for the comments, he repeated his concerns after the match while admitting he misspoke on court. He was adamant, though, that he was in the right and said Nadal and other top players receive preferential treatment.
“Of course, 100% he does,” Shapovalov said. “Every other match that I have played, the pace has been so quick because the refs have been on the clock after every single point. This one, after the first two sets it was like an hour and a half just because he’s dragged out so much after every single point. He’s given so much time in between sets.”
After those first two sets, however, momentum had swung. Despite Nadal’s opportunities to take hold of the third set, Shapovalov showed his toughness, digging out tight, gritty holds with bold shotmaking.
Nadal’s serve began to crumble as he struggled in the heat. While Shapovalov took control of the baseline, Nadal double faulted four times in the third set. In the fourth he gave the decisive break away at 2-1 with a double fault. Shapovalov served supremely to force a fifth set.
“I started to feel bad at the end of the second,” said Nadal. “It was very warm out there and the conditions were hard. All these kind of matches helps me to be in better shape, but we can’t forget that I didn’t play much tennis for such a long time, no? So under these very hard conditions it is difficult for me.”
During the fourth set the 35-year-old called the physio and was given tablets after being evaluated. He had a further off-court medical evaluation at the end of that set before taking a bathroom break.
The decisive moment came at 1-0 in the final set as Shapovalov capitulated on his serve, striking four unforced errors to let Nadal in. Despite his service woes, his physical issues and a much younger, hungry opponent the veteran held serve throughout the set to reach his first Australian Open semi-final since 2019.
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Nadal said he felt sorry for Shapovalov after such a tough loss. “I wish him all the very best. He’s young and everybody, I think, we all make mistakes on our careers. I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger and probably he will understand after he thinks the proper way that probably he was not right today.”
During those long months spent trying to find a solution for his foot injury, and even while he was bedridden by Covid, Nadal questioned his future in the game. How quickly things can change. He now stands two wins from his 21st major title. “Two months ago we didn’t know if we would be able to be back on tour,” he said. “It is a present of life that I am playing tennis again.”
Nadal will face Matteo Berrettini, the seventh seed and last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, in the semi-final. The Italian, the first man from his country to reach the last four in Melbourne, also led by two sets before a spirited fightback by Gaël Monfils. Berrettini, however, responded well in the deciding set to win 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2 in just under four hours. “I’m really happy for myself,” he said. “What a great fight again against Gaël. Great match, a lot of emotions. I thought I had him in the third and then I found myself in the fifth but I really fought hard and put everything in the court.”
Friday will mark the second meeting between Berrettini and Nadal after a US Open semi-final in 2019. “It was a really tough match for me, he won the tournament after,” Berrettini said.
“It was my first semi-final, I didn’t really know what to expect and even for the first set I had set points. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be a great fight. He played five sets today as well, so he needs to rest as well.”
