2022 Australian Open Men’s Final: Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil Medvedev

Who wins?


  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .

MargaretMcAleer

The GOAT
Joined
Apr 30, 2013
Messages
46,485
Reactions
30,566
Points
113
From Christopher Clarey,
A couple things clear to me after the men's final,
Best of 5 is worth fighting for.
In-match coaching is not worth fighting for
There's a purity and,every once in a while,majesty to letting the best players in the world problem solve,long form.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Moxie

Vince Evert

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
3,900
Reactions
1,867
Points
113

Medvedev loses the Australian Open, but wins a title -​


Daniil Medvedev lost a grand slam but won a title: the prat of the tournament.

To be fair, this was a tennis tournament; there was significant competition. But Medvedev’s outburst at the chair umpire, when he threw a fit that escalated into aggressive ravings and wild screaming in the semi-final, was the low moment.

Bear in mind this was a competition that began with and without Novak Djokovic.

That tennis players are often stuck in a stunted, solipsistic loop is not new. That they are still indulged and pandered to by apologetic authorities is also lamentably unchanged.
Medvedev’s complaint about Stefanos Tsitsipas being coached by his dad in the stands began with some merit, but that was quickly lost among his wild ravings and abuse.

Tennis deserves this. It has done nothing to stop pathetic behaviour. Medvedev later received two fines totalling $12,000 for his childish tantrum. As a semi-finalist, he was guaranteed $895,000.

Fines, especially of this size, are laughable nonsense. What is costly to a player who as the eventual runner-up pocketed $1.57 million? Points or games in the match. Hurt them in the moment.

Medvedev should have been warned within seconds of the start of his tirade that he would lose a point. He then should have lost a game and the referee been prepared to disqualify him.

“I regret it [losing my cool] all the time because I don’t think it’s nice,” Medvedev said of his outburst after the match. He agrees it’s not nice, and he’d rather not behave that way, but seemingly he has no real power or incentive to change his behaviour in the moment.

Rugby does its best with its paternalistic dressing down of players. Soccer lost the battle when it allowed players to lay hands on referees. The AFL feared the slippery slope of demonstrative umpire abuse and invoked strong on-field penalties. The value of doing so was plain to see at Melbourne Park these last two weeks.

He spoke of the crowd’s disrespect at making noises between serves. Seriously. Pot, kettle, black.

Medvedev was not alone for the competition of the self-absorbed is always keen at the tennis.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov shouted at the chair umpire in the quarter-finals that Rafael Nadal was getting away with time-wasting and the chair umpires were all star struck and gave him and the big three players liberties. “You guys are all corrupt,” he said to the umpire.
Later, after losing the quarter-final, he said he had misspoken. He was fined $8000 and the tennis authorities boasted it was the heaviest fine of the tournament. Shapovalov pocketed $538,500 for losing the quarter-final.
What Shapovalov said was worse than Medvedev. The way he carried on was not. Both should have immediately lost points and games, at the very least.
The great frustration with Medvedev is that he is a phenomenal player. He is tall, fast across the court, gets absolutely everything back, has a huge serve and every shot in the book, including a backhand that is the best in world tennis. His talent is not in question. His behaviour is.

Medvedev said having the crowd seemingly always against him meant he was not playing for anyone but himself anymore and had crushed his boyhood dreams.
“The kid stopped dreaming. The kid is going to play for himself,” Medvedev said in the wee hours of Monday morning, talking about himself in the third person.
“From now on I’m playing for myself, for my family, to provide [for] my family, for people that trust in me [and] of course for all the Russians because I feel a lot of support there.”
OK, fine. But Daniil, you know which other kids might have stopped dreaming? The ball kids you embarrassed when you barked at them about where they should be standing and running when they were standing and running precisely where they had been trained to stand and run.

And then you carried on to the chair umpire about it. I mean seriously, Daniil, the ball kids?
The thing is, Medvedev is right – the crowds were often loud and raucous, disrespectful and un-tennis-like.

This Open created a sport versus entertainment debate that sporting bodies have been wrestling with for years. The more outrageous the behaviour on the court, the more people tune in, and organisers love the eyeballs on the TV even if what you’re seeing is not the product they really want you to watch.
But you cannot be outrageously disrespectful as a player and then complain about a lack of respect.

Similarly, you cannot ask crowds to be loud then complain when they are. Think of the Special Ks, the Aussie doubles pair that engaged the crowd and wound them up like an uncle with red cordial at a kids party – then left them to let the parents try to get the kids to sleep.
“The rowdier, the better from everyone, honestly ... sink piss and come here,” Thanasi Kokkinakis said. Next match he and Nick Kyrgios complained about the crowd being loud between serves.

By Michael Gleeson
The Age, online

Michael Gleeson

Michael Gleeson is an award-winning senior sports writer specialising in AFL and athletics.Connect via Twitter or email.


 

kskate2

Administrator
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
31,025
Reactions
10,033
Points
113
Age
55
Location
Tampa Bay

Medvedev loses the Australian Open, but wins a title -​


Daniil Medvedev lost a grand slam but won a title: the prat of the tournament.

To be fair, this was a tennis tournament; there was significant competition. But Medvedev’s outburst at the chair umpire, when he threw a fit that escalated into aggressive ravings and wild screaming in the semi-final, was the low moment.

Bear in mind this was a competition that began with and without Novak Djokovic.

That tennis players are often stuck in a stunted, solipsistic loop is not new. That they are still indulged and pandered to by apologetic authorities is also lamentably unchanged.
Medvedev’s complaint about Stefanos Tsitsipas being coached by his dad in the stands began with some merit, but that was quickly lost among his wild ravings and abuse.

Tennis deserves this. It has done nothing to stop pathetic behaviour. Medvedev later received two fines totalling $12,000 for his childish tantrum. As a semi-finalist, he was guaranteed $895,000.

Fines, especially of this size, are laughable nonsense. What is costly to a player who as the eventual runner-up pocketed $1.57 million? Points or games in the match. Hurt them in the moment.

Medvedev should have been warned within seconds of the start of his tirade that he would lose a point. He then should have lost a game and the referee been prepared to disqualify him.

“I regret it [losing my cool] all the time because I don’t think it’s nice,” Medvedev said of his outburst after the match. He agrees it’s not nice, and he’d rather not behave that way, but seemingly he has no real power or incentive to change his behaviour in the moment.

Rugby does its best with its paternalistic dressing down of players. Soccer lost the battle when it allowed players to lay hands on referees. The AFL feared the slippery slope of demonstrative umpire abuse and invoked strong on-field penalties. The value of doing so was plain to see at Melbourne Park these last two weeks.

He spoke of the crowd’s disrespect at making noises between serves. Seriously. Pot, kettle, black.

Medvedev was not alone for the competition of the self-absorbed is always keen at the tennis.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov shouted at the chair umpire in the quarter-finals that Rafael Nadal was getting away with time-wasting and the chair umpires were all star struck and gave him and the big three players liberties. “You guys are all corrupt,” he said to the umpire.
Later, after losing the quarter-final, he said he had misspoken. He was fined $8000 and the tennis authorities boasted it was the heaviest fine of the tournament. Shapovalov pocketed $538,500 for losing the quarter-final.
What Shapovalov said was worse than Medvedev. The way he carried on was not. Both should have immediately lost points and games, at the very least.
The great frustration with Medvedev is that he is a phenomenal player. He is tall, fast across the court, gets absolutely everything back, has a huge serve and every shot in the book, including a backhand that is the best in world tennis. His talent is not in question. His behaviour is.

Medvedev said having the crowd seemingly always against him meant he was not playing for anyone but himself anymore and had crushed his boyhood dreams.
“The kid stopped dreaming. The kid is going to play for himself,” Medvedev said in the wee hours of Monday morning, talking about himself in the third person.
“From now on I’m playing for myself, for my family, to provide [for] my family, for people that trust in me [and] of course for all the Russians because I feel a lot of support there.”
OK, fine. But Daniil, you know which other kids might have stopped dreaming? The ball kids you embarrassed when you barked at them about where they should be standing and running when they were standing and running precisely where they had been trained to stand and run.

And then you carried on to the chair umpire about it. I mean seriously, Daniil, the ball kids?
The thing is, Medvedev is right – the crowds were often loud and raucous, disrespectful and un-tennis-like.

This Open created a sport versus entertainment debate that sporting bodies have been wrestling with for years. The more outrageous the behaviour on the court, the more people tune in, and organisers love the eyeballs on the TV even if what you’re seeing is not the product they really want you to watch.
But you cannot be outrageously disrespectful as a player and then complain about a lack of respect.

Similarly, you cannot ask crowds to be loud then complain when they are. Think of the Special Ks, the Aussie doubles pair that engaged the crowd and wound them up like an uncle with red cordial at a kids party – then left them to let the parents try to get the kids to sleep.
“The rowdier, the better from everyone, honestly ... sink piss and come here,” Thanasi Kokkinakis said. Next match he and Nick Kyrgios complained about the crowd being loud between serves.

By Michael Gleeson
The Age, online

Michael Gleeson

Michael Geeson is an award-winning senior sports writer specialising in AFL and athletics.Connect via Twitter or email.


Well Vince there are definitely double standards when it comes to discipline. I'm pretty sure Serena was fined somewhere near 90K when she had her tirade at the 09 USO and that was after being accessed a point penalty which just so happened to be on MP. Furthermore, a probation period after that where she had to be on her best behavior at the slams for 6 or 9 months.
 

Sundaymorningguy

Grand Slam Champion
Joined
Apr 15, 2013
Messages
6,384
Reactions
1,759
Points
113
Location
Norfolk, VA
Aren’t we kind of proving Shapovalov’s point about officials not administering policy fairly and consistently though? I don’t disagree with Shapo about his qualm in general because he isn’t the first to say it about Nadal. His manner in which he did it wasn’t acceptable. If you look at what happened to Serena in her matches versus what happened with Shapovalov and Daniil, policy wasn’t administered fairly and there was a definite bias. Denis’ overall argument about bias stands. I doubt he wanted to be on the other side of the fairness talk, but it still stands when you see how officials handled Serena versus Denis and Daniil. Corrupt isn’t the right word for it, but poor officiating might be the better term.
 
  • Like
Reactions: atttomole

Kieran

The GOAT
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
16,964
Reactions
7,225
Points
113
Aren’t we kind of proving Shapovalov’s point about officials not administering policy fairly and consistently though? I don’t disagree with Shapo about his qualm in general because he isn’t the first to say it about Nadal. His manner in which he did it wasn’t acceptable. If you look at what happened to Serena in her matches versus what happened with Shapovalov and Daniil, policy wasn’t administered fairly and there was a definite bias. Denis’ overall argument about bias stands. I doubt he wanted to be on the other side of the fairness talk, but it still stands when you see how officials handled Serena versus Denis and Daniil. Corrupt isn’t the right word for it, but poor officiating might be the better term.
Absolutely, the umpire should be all over anything like this. Rafa’s takes too long between points. Now, I did read somewhere that in that match, Rafa took an average 31 seconds, and Shapo took 29, in which case his argument is more shaky, but I didn’t read that stat from an official source, so maybe the stat is even shakier!

But regardless, the umpire is responsible to speed up the players, for both players sakes.

In Serena’s match, she threatened a lineswoman. She’d got off lightly for that, it was disgraceful…
 

tented

Administrator
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
21,664
Reactions
10,488
Points
113
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Absolutely, the umpire should be all over anything like this. Rafa’s takes too long between points. Now, I did read somewhere that in that match, Rafa took an average 31 seconds, and Shapo took 29, in which case his argument is more shaky, but I didn’t read that stat from an official source, so maybe the stat is even shakier!

Multiple times during the match, ESPN showed those same numbers. Denis was taking, on average, two seconds less than Rafa, which confirms that this was Denis getting tetchy because of his level of play, vs. trying to get Rafa to speed up between points.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Moxie

rafanoy1992

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Apr 15, 2013
Messages
4,572
Reactions
3,216
Points
113
I just realized this as of now, but other than their first encounter, the matches between Nadal and Medvedev have been decided in the last set.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Moxie

Moxie

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
43,606
Reactions
14,764
Points
113
Absolutely, the umpire should be all over anything like this. Rafa’s takes too long between points. Now, I did read somewhere that in that match, Rafa took an average 31 seconds, and Shapo took 29, in which case his argument is more shaky, but I didn’t read that stat from an official source, so maybe the stat is even shakier!

But regardless, the umpire is responsible to speed up the players, for both players sakes.

In Serena’s match, she threatened a lineswoman. She’d got off lightly for that, it was disgraceful…
I don't think that we were talking about the match where Serena threatened a lineswoman, but the one where she called Carlos Ramos a "thief." Which is much the same as Shapo calling the ump "corrupt," or Medvedev shouting at the ump about Tsitsipas. It's all abuse of an umpire, and Serena got fined $90K, according to Kskate, (and we know she got assessed a point penalty,) and Medvedev got fined $12K, while receiving no point penalty on court. The article provided by @Vince Evert above makes some important points. One is that if you fine millionaires after the fact the equivalent of a parking ticket, you won't make a change. Assess penalties in the moment, when it hurts them in the game. Another point here is to ask why Serena has been punished, severely, in the moment, when the men haven't? (I'm sorry, but that is a VERY good question.) IMO, men are seen as allowed to "blow of steam" in a way that is considered "unseemly" for women, and is therefore punished more harshly on women, and allowed to pass more than it should, on men.

I agree with the human element in having an umpire there to pass judgement, and you can't always make a perfect coherent evaluation of the rules, in the moment. But in terms of the ITP (which governs the Majors) handing out fines, I don't see how there could be such a disparate ruling on Serena and Meddie. And I'm not even sure what has been given to Shapo, in terms of sanction. But what is the difference between calling an umpire "a thief", and calling another one "corrupt? Someone explain that. And, if you look at it more closely, Carlos Ramos (the ump) docked Serena a point, which is why she called him a thief. All Shapo was complaining about was Bernardes not calling Rafa on slow play, and, as @tented has pointed out, the difference in shot clock between them was 2 seconds, across the match. Who was more hard done by, in their match? Shapovalov was just pissed off because he was losing.
 

Vince Evert

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
3,900
Reactions
1,867
Points
113

Roger Federer " I couldn't be happier for Rafa Nadal"​

 

Vince Evert

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
3,900
Reactions
1,867
Points
113
I don't think that we were talking about the match where Serena threatened a lineswoman, but the one where she called Carlos Ramos a "thief." Which is much the same as Shapo calling the ump "corrupt," or Medvedev shouting at the ump about Tsitsipas. It's all abuse of an umpire, and Serena got fined $90K, according to Kskate, (and we know she got assessed a point penalty,) and Medvedev got fined $12K, while receiving no point penalty on court. The article provided by @Vince Evert above makes some important points. One is that if you fine millionaires after the fact the equivalent of a parking ticket, you won't make a change. Assess penalties in the moment, when it hurts them in the game. Another point here is to ask why Serena has been punished, severely, in the moment, when the men haven't? (I'm sorry, but that is a VERY good question.) IMO, men are seen as allowed to "blow of steam" in a way that is considered "unseemly" for women, and is therefore punished more harshly on women, and allowed to pass more than it should, on men.

I agree with the human element in having an umpire there to pass judgement, and you can't always make a perfect coherent evaluation of the rules, in the moment. But in terms of the ITP (which governs the Majors) handing out fines, I don't see how there could be such a disparate ruling on Serena and Meddie. And I'm not even sure what has been given to Shapo, in terms of sanction. But what is the difference between calling an umpire "a thief", and calling another one "corrupt? Someone explain that. And, if you look at it more closely, Carlos Ramos (the ump) docked Serena a point, which is why she called him a thief. All Shapo was complaining about was Bernardes not calling Rafa on slow play, and, as @tented has pointed out, the difference in shot clock between them was 2 seconds, across the match. Who was more hard done by, in their match? Shapovalov was just pissed off because he was losing.
Thanks MOX, I am VERY CONCERNED that the crowds boisterous nature from what we seen and heard throughout the tournament , including some protestors, could become a regular fixture at the australian open.

Hey Moxie, I been reviewing your idol Rafa's 5 setters at the Grand Slams.
He's played 13 at the Australian Open, 11 at the Big W. 5 at the Open and only twice at Roland Garros. Will turn it into an article later.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kieran and Moxie

Vince Evert

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
3,900
Reactions
1,867
Points
113
Hey, i suppose i ask this question yesterday but has there been any word yet what was the ESPN ratings on the mens' and ladies' singles final? Using google I certainly have not found the ratings.
 

Andy22

Major Winner
Joined
Feb 2, 2018
Messages
1,975
Reactions
488
Points
83
Location
Australia
Nadal is The New Goat Now He just Ended the Goat Race its over Now very happy Man. Greatest Success Story in Sports history
 

Kieran

The GOAT
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
16,964
Reactions
7,225
Points
113
I don't think that we were talking about the match where Serena threatened a lineswoman, but the one where she called Carlos Ramos a "thief." Which is much the same as Shapo calling the ump "corrupt," or Medvedev shouting at the ump about Tsitsipas. It's all abuse of an umpire, and Serena got fined $90K, according to Kskate, (and we know she got assessed a point penalty,) and Medvedev got fined $12K, while receiving no point penalty on court. The article provided by @Vince Evert above makes some important points. One is that if you fine millionaires after the fact the equivalent of a parking ticket, you won't make a change. Assess penalties in the moment, when it hurts them in the game. Another point here is to ask why Serena has been punished, severely, in the moment, when the men haven't? (I'm sorry, but that is a VERY good question.) IMO, men are seen as allowed to "blow of steam" in a way that is considered "unseemly" for women, and is therefore punished more harshly on women, and allowed to pass more than it should, on men.

I agree with the human element in having an umpire there to pass judgement, and you can't always make a perfect coherent evaluation of the rules, in the moment. But in terms of the ITP (which governs the Majors) handing out fines, I don't see how there could be such a disparate ruling on Serena and Meddie. And I'm not even sure what has been given to Shapo, in terms of sanction. But what is the difference between calling an umpire "a thief", and calling another one "corrupt? Someone explain that. And, if you look at it more closely, Carlos Ramos (the ump) docked Serena a point, which is why she called him a thief. All Shapo was complaining about was Bernardes not calling Rafa on slow play, and, as @tented has pointed out, the difference in shot clock between them was 2 seconds, across the match. Who was more hard done by, in their match? Shapovalov was just pissed off because he was losing.

The match I believe @kskate2 referred to is the one where she threatened the lineswoman:
I'm pretty sure Serena was fined somewhere near 90K when she had her tirade at the 09 USO and that was after being accessed a point penalty which just so happened to be on MP.


That was 2009. For that, Serena was fined $175,000, but only had to pay $82,500 with the rest suspended for 3 years, depending on her behaviour at the slams in that time.


In 2018, when she called Carlos Ramos “a thief”, she was fined $17,000 - $10,000 for verbal abuse, $4000 for the coaching warning, and $3000 for breaking the racket.

Medvedev was fined $12,000 for his meltdown, and Tsitsipas was fined almost $5000 for his coaching warning.

I don’t see that Serena was treated worse because she’s a woman. And by the way, unfortunately Carlos Ramos hasn’t umpired a grand slam final since…
 

Kieran

The GOAT
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
16,964
Reactions
7,225
Points
113
Does anyone have footage of the end of the match, from Serbian television? I watched a bit of it and after the final point, when Rafa won, the commentator shouted: Fjuking donkey mule pig fjuk we will rise again NOOOooo ah Holy Motherland we are the True People garlic! Garlic! we will burn fjuking fjuk effigies kangaroos NOW fjuking bjastard fjuking FJUK!!!”

He then tried to blow his brains out with a bazooka and missed.
 

Vince Evert

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
3,900
Reactions
1,867
Points
113
Hey, i suppose i ask this question yesterday but has there been any word yet what was the ESPN ratings on the mens' and ladies' singles final? Using google I certainly have not found the ratings.
UPDATE... Unofficial stat -
Quote :
NaBUru38

2 days ago

"The men’s singles final (ESPN, 6-10 am) averaged 783 k."

ESPN has not yet announced their figures, re. mens and womens final.


Quote ESPN from last year: "The Novak Djokovic-Daniil Medvedev men’s final averaged 425,000 the following morning, down 28% from Djokovic-Dominic Thiem last year (588K) , the least-watched men’s final since at least 2007."
 
Last edited:

Vince Evert

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
3,900
Reactions
1,867
Points
113
Both mens semifinals available now in full but different commentary, certainly to what we've had here in AU:



 

Moxie

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
43,606
Reactions
14,764
Points
113
The match I believe @kskate2 referred to is the one where she threatened the lineswoman:



That was 2009. For that, Serena was fined $175,000, but only had to pay $82,500 with the rest suspended for 3 years, depending on her behaviour at the slams in that time.


In 2018, when she called Carlos Ramos “a thief”, she was fined $17,000 - $10,000 for verbal abuse, $4000 for the coaching warning, and $3000 for breaking the racket.

Medvedev was fined $12,000 for his meltdown, and Tsitsipas was fined almost $5000 for his coaching warning.

I don’t see that Serena was treated worse because she’s a woman. And by the way, unfortunately Carlos Ramos hasn’t umpired a grand slam final since…
OK, I will take remedial reading comprehension, and review the above. ;)

What I will say, though, is that bratty tennis players are not doing themselves any favors, complaining to/abusing the umpires because, for what looks like to all the world, they are losing. At least you can say that Serena had been hard done by in the past at the USO, (the Capriati match that gave us hawkeye, and it was egregious,) and the Henin, was it? hand ball at RG? IW.) She does have some things to complain about, over the years, but these whiny bastards do not. Play your game, play well, suck it up, and when you earn the crowd's respect, you might just get it. I'm sorry that Medvedev feels that the child in him has died. But he has to consider his part. Did the crowd lose him that match, or win it for Nadal? That takes it too far, IMO. Daniil had plenty of chances, even as Nadal did, too, that they missed. It became a knife fight, and Medvedev brought a rusty mental blade, and Nadal brought a mental shiv. If Medvedev is really ambitious, and I think he is, once he's licked his wounds, he'll learn something from this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kieran

Vince Evert

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
3,900
Reactions
1,867
Points
113

Amazing Nadal hails his greatest comeback​

A "physically destroyed" Rafael Nadal is savouring the "greatest comeback" of his incomparable career after staging an epic Australian Open final fightback to claim a record-setting 21st grand slam singles crown.
Nadal recovered from two sets to love down for the first time in 15 years to defeat second seed Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5 in a drama-charged climax to the Open at Melbourne Park.
The landmark victory in a five-hour, 24-minute war of attrition that finished past midnight on Monday morning vaulted the Spaniard one slam clear of great rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the all-time major titles leaderboard.
"If we put everything together - the scenario, the momentum, what it means, yeah, without a doubt (it's) probably the biggest comeback of my tennis career," said an overjoyed but exhausted Nadal.
The sapping encounter was the second-longest final in Open history, behind only Nadal's five-hour, 53-minute loss to Djokovic in 2012 and left the 35-year-old admitting he was feeling "destroyed, physically".
In raising the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for a second time, 13 years after his first triumph, Nadal also joins Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Djokovic as only the fourth man in tennis history to win each of the four grand slam titles at least twice.
"Without a doubt, it's one of the most emotional moments in my tennis career," Nadal said.
"The most unexpected, without a doubt, and most surprising I think for everyone."
Laver, fittingly, enjoyed a front-row view in the arena named in his honour as his fellow southpaw pulled off one of the most incredible wins of his legendary career.
Seemingly on the canvas after dropping the second set from 5-3 up, then facing three break points at 2-3 in the third, Nadal somehow conjured his first escape from two sets down since beating another Russian, Mikhail Youzhny, in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2006.
Youzhny, though, wasn't the world No.2, reigning US Open champion and riding a 13-match grand slam winning streak like Medvedev.
Even more remarkably, Nadal had only played two matches between last June and January because of a crippling foot injury and remained an Open doubt until after Christmas.
"One month-and-a-half ago, I didn't know if I would be able to be back on the tour and now I am here sharing the trophy with all of you," he told his adoring fans.
It was 25-year-old Medvedev, a decade Nadal's junior, who imploded mentally and physically.
He remonstrated with his box and complained to Australian umpire John Blom about the ball kids and then heckling spectators who were disrupting his serving focus.
"Can you take control please? Medvedev pleaded with Blom after dropping serve to fall behind 3-2 in the fourth set.
"Step up, man, it's the final of a grand slam. Please step up. Please is not enough. They are idiots."
But Blom's more forceful intervention moments later couldn't save Medvedev from surrendering the fourth set and, as Nadal lifted, the Russian called for the trainer and needed pickle juice and his left thigh massaged to fend off cramping.
After Medvedev double-faulted on the opening point of the deciding set, Blom finally threatened offenders with removal if they continued to mock Medvedev.
Medvedev's last chance evaporated when he dropped serve in the 11 game and Nadal sank to his knees in exhausted elation after adding his second Australian Open title to his 13 French Open, two Wimbledon and four US Open successes.
Asked if he now felt he was the greatest men's player of all-time, Nadal was typically humble.
"No, I don't want to change my point of view. Honestly," he said.
"Of course, it's amazing to achieve another grand slam at this moment of my career. Just means a lot to me. Of course, I know it's a special number, 21.
"I feel honoured. I feel lucky to achieve one more very special thing in my tennis career. I don't care much if I am the one or not the one or the best of the history, not the best of the history.
"Honestly, I don't care much. Means even more to achieve the second Australian Open more than any other thing."


by Darren Walton AAP
Perth Times online
January 31, 2022


Note : Interestingly that NADAL has now been involved in three (not two) of the longest, epic finals of the australian open tournament's history.

His 2009 victory against Federer, was 4 hours, 23 minutes in length.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kieran