Rafael Nadal's improbable comeback in Sunday's Australian Open final gave him his 21st Grand Slam title—the most in men's singles history—and sent the sports world buzzing in its aftermath. Among those to send their well-wishes to the 35-year-old? Longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The pair entered Sunday even with Nadal at 20 major singles wins apiece but now look up at Nadal on the all-time leaderboard. Nadal dropped the first two sets against Daniil Medvedev before roaring back to life, winning the third and fourth sets each with a score of 6–4. He won the decisive fifth set in 12 games, letting out a jubilant cheer after completing the comeback.
Federer offered his congratulations on his Instagram story, lauding Nadal for his “incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit.”
“What a match! To my friend and great rival Rafael Nadal, heartfelt congratulations on becoming the first man to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles,” Federer wrote. “A few months ago we were joking about both being on crutches. Amazing. Never underestimate a great champion...I am proud to share this era with you and honored to play a role in pushing you to achieve more, as you have done for me for the past 18 years. I am sure you have more achievements ahead but for now enjoy this one!”
Djokovic, who was not permitted to play in the tournament following the saga surrounding his vaccination status, congratulated Nadal and women's singles champion Ashleigh Barty in an Instagram post after Nadal's victory.
“Congratulations to Ashleigh Barty for an amazing performance in front of her home crowd and to Danielle Collins for an incredible tournament,” Djokovic wrote. “Congratulations to Rafael Nadal for 21st Grand Slam. Amazing achievement. Always impressive fighting spirit that prevailed another time.”
