Rafael Nadal broke the all-time Grand Slam record with his victory over Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open on Sunday. The accomplishment itself, however, pales in comparison to the manner in which he secured it.
His hollow-cheeked face drenched in sweat, Rafael Nadal stared into the abyss of the all-too-familiar anguish of Australian Open disappointment and said, “Not again. Not this time.”
And so it was that a rusty, COVID-recovering, 35-year-old veteran staged the most thrilling comeback in tennis history on Sunday in Melbourne. It was a win so inspiring that it immediately transcended the tennis bubble. It represents the gold standard of everything good sport has to offer: the resiliency of the human spirit, the power of determination, and…yeah…the thrill of watching the most unlikely series of events unfold before your eyes.
And all at a tournament that was in shambles just over two weeks ago.
There was controversy, you see. Through no fault of Nadal’s, prohibitive pre-tournament favorite Novak Djokovic spent the week prior to the Australian Open splitting his time between a detention center and court rooms. The reason? Australia’s visa requirements for COVID vaccination and Djokovic’s lack of one. The end result was deportation for Djokovic and a gaping hole in the Oz Open draw.
In disgust, more than one tennis pundit declared that if Nadal won the event the win would come with an asterisk. Here is the Grandstand’s own Ricky Dimon summarizing the rants of ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale on the Djokovic deportation:
An asterisk. A small note to indicate that Nadal didn’t *really* win, because how could it possibly count if he didn’t have to beat Djokovic? How, indeed.
Certainly, Sunday’s final will never be called the greatest tennis match of all time. There was just too much diabolically bad tennis in the first 3 sets for it to come within spitting distance of any of a dozen or so brilliant matches in the Open Era. But for all that, it may still be the greatest win of all time. What Nadal managed to do from two sets down and a 0-40 hole at 2-3 in the third is an almost novel-like story arc (Netflix documentary, I’m looking at you).
Nadal scrapped. He clawed and fought. He recognized that pitting his forehand against the fearsome Medvedev backhand was going to earn him a quick trip to the locker room. So he dug in his bag of tricks, and deep down in the dustiest corner he found a different backhand, a bludgeoning weapon of a stroke tagged with the “there is no way I can keep that up for an entire match” label and subsequently abandoned years ago. He brushed off the cobwebs, gave it a little sniff, and unleashed it at the Medvedev forehand. He took the third set and gave himself a lifeline.
Medvedev took his own turn playing poorly in the fourth. The Russian had leaden legs; the slight desperation born of fatigue (and probably panic at the match slipping away from him) had him going for winners too early and seemed to compromise his ability to play tactically. To the delight of the wildly pro-Nadal crowd, it was the 35-year old scampering around the baseline like an unusually muscular woodland creature enjoying his first spring in the forest. It was, in a word, sorcery–a special Nadal brand of magic of the watch-this-I-can-ignore-my-screaming-joints-better-than-you-sonny sort.
Enter set five.
Taking the third and fourth sets quite literally out of nowhere was impressive, for sure. But by far the most notable thing of an already notable match was the manner in which he absorbed the horror of dropping serve at 5-4 while serving for the championship, giving his hard-earned break back to Medvedev. His Aussie Open demons had already twice materialized in squandering a break lead in the fifth and losing the match. The crowd was thinking it, I was thinking it…and Nadal was certainly thinking it.
As he revealed in an interview with Eurosport, “After that (being broken in the fifth set), I said, ‘F**k, one more time a break up in the fifth and I’m going to lose again, like in 2012, like in 2017. But I said, ‘Okay. I lost (the break). I was nervous, I make a double-fault, I make a mistake. So I need to keep fighting, no? I can lose the match or he can beat me, but I can’t give up, no? Even if I’m destroyed, I need to stay (in it) mentally.’ And that’s what I did.”
As if it were just that simple–like his hopes hadn’t been dashed on that exact court in that EXACT way twice before. And yet he came right back in Medvedev’s service game at 5-5 and broke the Russian again…and with the break, the opportunity to serve for the championship. Again. Which he did flawlessly.
If that’s not one of the most effective “you can all shut up now” messages of all time, I don’t know what is. Nobody with any kind of credibility would dare dismiss this victory as anything other than the miracle it was.
Djokovic wasn’t able to compete, and that is a shame for him and the tournament…but what Nadal did–defeating the reigning U.S. Open champion (something Djokovic was UNABLE to do) for No. 21, for the double-career Grand Slam–is so extraordinary that a talk track that it “didn’t count” is actually embarrassing. So let’s not.
This is tennis, people. And it is glorious.
preach
Lovely blog Cheryl
Sanju, cheers!! You never gave up hoping that Rafa could win a second AO title! Considering Rafa’s progressing age, the change of the surface in 2017 which became speedier and more slippery, and the inevitable improvement of certain young guns, it seemed to be highly unlikely that Rafa would win his 21st slam in Melbourne of all places. Add the fact that Novak seemed to own the AO trophy almost as much as Rafa is attached to the FO trophy. Many pieces needed to fall into place for Rafa, but even after Novak’s deportation the obstacles seemed to be stacked up against Rafa because of his long injury time-out and his recent covid-infection. Rafa made this win possible with sheer grit and will power.
Excellent summation, Littlefoot!
Another fantastic article Cheryl. Honestly, Nadal’s mental resilience is a wonder. Never seen anything like it in any sport ever let alone tennis. Astonishing to say the least. So inspiring.
All this talk about Rafa NOT really winning if Djokovic would have been there.Who is to say that Djokovic would have positively won??!! That’s a bunch of baloney!!. The way Rafa was playing??? And God certainly was in his side! Take that asterisk off!!!! Give Rafa the honor he is so deserving of! Very well done!!! Btw love your passion fir the game and love to watch you play!
Love this write up in 10 ways! Thank you!!
Cheryl, best article about that glorious story of sports history in the making I have read so far! I still cannot believe that this actually happened!
Rafa’s record breaking win is indeed a miracle, and if this would be a novel the author would get a lot of flak for having produced cheap pulp fiction with a totally improbable plot! But the author could say, that the protagonist of this story is Rafael Nadal, a guy with the proven ability for making the impossible happen, a guy with so much, grit, tenacity, will power and such a high tennis IQ, that the narrative isn’t really so unlikely after all, and this guy has had so much bad luck in Melbourne that he really deserved a happy end for a change! When I watched the match I had the impression that after Rafa lost the second set, a script doctor intervened and said:”Listen, we have seen the narrative of Rafa’s bad luck in a AO final too often. This is getting old. In these difficult times the tennis fans all over the world deserve something unexpected and uplifting!”
I am quite sure that we will not hear a lot of talk about asterisks. Rafa beat Khachanov, Shapo and Berettini on his way into the final. These guys are strong opponents with a great future, and who knows if Zverev wouldn’t have been easier to beat than Shapo! And Medvedev has been the second best tennis player of the world in the last 12 months. Daniil is the guy after all who subdued Novak fairly easily in NY half a year ago and ended Novak’s quest for a record breaking 21st slam trophy as well as deying him the elusive tennis holy grail called “calendar slam”. After Novak’s exit, Medvedev was hands down the most difficult opponent for Rafa. Medvedev has the potential to become a multi-slam winning champion and a legend, too. But yesterday he had to be content with the role of the opponent who had to be ultimately vanquished by the hero of this great story.
if Djoker and Fed fans put an asterisk on this one
how many of their titles need asterisks being put on them?
I don’t think any fed fans are Ricky. Fed fans have gone beyond hating Rafa now. There is a very healthy respect now.
It’s only the insecure Novak fans who want to scream that Novak is the best and thereby need to denigrate the other 2. Given that now Rafa is a real threat and Federer is almost done ,all the hate directed at rafa.
Oh Cheryl!
Thank you for this! I love your blogs, but this time you brought me to tears. Nobody could possibly have summed it all up better!
Thank you for addressing the asterisk issue, too. Rafa beat the best player. He did it the hard way. I think he exorcised any remaining demons at this AO. He faced the biggest demon when he was broken serving for the match. He triumphed in the end.
This blog is one I am going to save. It’s very special. I am just glad you are here to write it!
😍
the goat
Yes Ricky, say it louder so the haters especially some of the insufferable Djoko fans can hear it and wallow in jealousy. CNN called him the GOAT, and even CNN’s christiane Amanpour called him the GOAT. With 21 slams, HE IS THE GOAT, PERIODT!
Couldn’t disagree more. It just proves that most things are a matter of perspective.
Keep enjoying your life of idoltry while ignoring the underlying truth.
It’s not your fault, most people are followers susceptible to brainwashing.
What the others said! Beautiful blog, Cheryl!!
Do you guys know where the “sports asterisk” comes from? Babe Ruth of American baseball fame held the season total home run record for many years. He was a famous and beloved player in the ’30’s, a really great pitcher, but too valuable a hitter to be a pitcher! In baseball homers are The King! Kinda like aces in tennis, but more so. In the late ’60’s (possibly early 70’s) a guy named Roger Maris finally broke that record. Big deal, right? Not so fast. The then commissioner, Bowie Kuhn, of baseball said that since the season had been expanded from 150 games to 162, Maris’ new record would come with – you guessed it! – an *asterisk*. Asterisks are buzz killers. But Rafa’s win will have an asterisk only in the delusional, butt-hurt “molefarm”, incapable of reason, incapable of blaming their guy for his own shortcomings. Pity them.
Ramara,
I know exactly what you are talking about. My father told me stories about Babe Ruth. So I know that he was a great pitcher.
I well remember Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s record, I also remember how unhappy many Yankee fans were that it was not Mickey Mantle who did it. Both my sister and I grew up to be diehard Yankee fans, just like our father.
What I did not know is the part where you talk about the commissioner attaching an asterisk to the record!
There will be no asterisk next to Rafa’s win. People who live in the real world and are reasonable and not delusional, know that Novak screwed up his chance to defend his title and another shot at #21. He decided not to get vaccinated. He thought he could twist or bend the rules. He thought he was the exception to the rule. It is solely Novak’s responsibility for getting deported.
I do pity anyone who hates a player so much that they have to come on this forum to hurl insults at him and his fans. The level of vitriol we have seen here from one sorry soul who simply cannot handle Rafa’s victory, is indeed very sad.
Sanju, I read the article, but it’s indeed not worth reading. The writer is of course entitled to voice his opinion. But his strong emphasis on Novak’s absence as the deciding fact is really somewhat annoying, and most Journalisten didn’t go down that road! It’s of course true that Novax’s deportation opened the door for Rafa and might well have strengthed his adamant resolve to use this great chance! Even the most ardent rafafans cannot deny that Rafa hasn’t won against Novak on hardcourt for many years now. But such is life! It’s normal that not all favorites are present and/or perfectly healthy. Because of his troubled foot Rafa wasn’t perfectly healthy during last year’s Roland Garros. But Novak’s win of the FO trophy has not been marked with an asterisk, and it shouldn’t. But it’s absolutely possible that this year Novak would have been beaten in Melbourne by someone if he had not been deported. Medvedev has demonstrated in NY that it is doable. And even after Novak’s ignoble exit there were many formidable obstacles between Rafa and the trophy. In the final he was the absolute underdog, and he had to play against the man who had beaten Novak easily in NY. The story line should have focussed on how Rafa managed to overcome all these odds. If we start to put asterixes on all slam titles which have been won in the absence or because of an early exit of the favorite player, the slam history would be riddled with asterixes 😉
When all is said and done, and all 3 of the Big 3 retire, what significant records do you expect Rafa will hold?
It would be interesting to hear your expectations/predictions
Shit blog, post, whatever you want to call it.
Same dribble that we’ve heard a zillion times before.
Get your own life and stop wasting it away idolising other people’s achievement achievements every single day.
*drivel
and add that to your list; stop wasting your life away focusing in people’s spelling and grammar.
That’s what small minded, brainwashed people do.
Maybe you should check this:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2022/01/30/rafael-nadals-australian-open-triumph-astounding-novak-djokovics/
Oliver brown..haha .no thankyou .there were just max 3-4 journalists who were pro Djokovic even when he went about the whole detention mess and roaming around knowing he was positive .Oliver was one of them. His article is not a tennis analyst article but one of a bigoted fan. Will not waste my time even reading it
Clutch hold at 2 sets down , 2-3 0-40 ….Its close to USO 2013 3rd set triumph 0-40 down.. Whenever I feel down, I just watch that game and feel pumped up..
And add deception, dishonesty collusion to your list, also.
Is there any good that comes from you people?
Technology and innovation, and that’s where it ends.
And that technology and innovation is derived from unfairness at it’s very core.
You’re toxic to humanity.
When a dog barks at the sun, it does not dim the sun’s brightness
Only problem is your dog but don’t know it.
“the dog”
I’m waiting for the next tech revolution so I can jump on CNBC and earn 20 billion from it and then sit on my perch preaching to everyone like a god for the remainder of my life.
and then that person has the hide to tell me I need to get in sync with reality.
Maybe I have a better sense of reality than all of you inherently dishonest flakes.
You’re off your trolley.
Go and have a lie down.
Deleted
I have a degree from one of the best universities in the world. Anyone who is educated can tell you are a mansplaining misogynistic idiot with a massive chip on your shoulder. That’s why you keep attacking people.
You’re a low-class, opportunistic scumbag.
Hey Amy, where are you from?
I’m British Jack! Why do you ask?
Yeah. Someone has gone over the edge because Rafa’s historic win was too much. The straw that broke the camel’s back I guess.
😉
No one has has gone over the edge you bunch of low life, opportunstic groupies.
Make that the last message you ever direct at me in this lifetime or the one after.
Oooh! Gosh I am so scared of you!
It must be tough to live with so much anger and hate.
What a shame.
Dear Anonymous,
Why are you so angry??? We are just a bunch of mostly harmless tennis fans who celebrate a record breaking win of a certain player who has a great fan base here! That’s all!
There are many more important things happening on this planet right now which are truly worth getting angry about! Don’t waste your energy on us 😉
You’re representative of all the problems.
Idoltry, ignorance, inherent dishonesty, deception, collusion, unfairness, unhealthy competition, etc etc.
Sorry to tell you that, and good luck.
Anymous, thanks for calling me a representative! But I don’t deserve this honour. I’m really not that important 😉
I wish you a great and productive week!
Twisting things again, are we, to present people in the worst possible light? That wouldn’t be you, would it?
Fear not, because the worst thing I’ll ever do to someone like you is not give you one second of my time.
Is that a promise?
😱
https://youtu.be/GC5E8ie2pdM for Rafa fans enjoy
Alison,
Thanks for lifting our spirits and keeping the focus on what is important – Rafa’s great achievement!
It’s nice to know that people can come here to celebrate with us and just not let the trolls and haters get to us.
😘
Enjoyed reading the Blog Cheryl,Bravo
Vamos Rafa 🙂
Great article, Cheryl.