After injuries robbed him of competing at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Olympics in 2021, it was fair to wonder if Rafael Nadal would ever capture another Grand Slam title again. In Sunday's Australian Open final, the 35-year-old answered that question with authority—and let his emotions pour out in the aftermath.
Nadal pulled off a remarkable comeback to defeat Daniil Medvedev in five sets (2–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 7–5) and win his 21st career Grand Slam, breaking a tie he previously held with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most in men’s tennis history. After shaking hands with Medvedev and the chair umpire, the 35-year-old punted a tennis ball toward the crowd and let out a few emphatic cheers before dropping to his knees and pointing skyward in celebration.
In addition to his 13 French Open championships, Nadal has won the U.S. Open four times and at Wimbledon twice. Before Sunday, the Australian Open was the only Slam he had yet to win multiple times.
During the trophy presentation, Nadal revealed that he had considered making this his final appearance at the Australian Open, but after his victory he told the crowd, "Now I have the energy to keep going. I'll do my best to see you next year."
"This was one of the most emotional matches of my career...being honest, I didn't know if i'd be able to be back on the tour playing tennis again (a few months ago)...," Nadal said. "You don't know how thankful I am to be here."
