Thirteen years after capturing his first Australian Open championship, Rafael Nadal has defeated all challengers Down Under once more. And this time, he stands alone atop men’s tennis perch.
Nadal mounted a remarkable comeback to defeat Daniil Medvedev on Sunday—2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-5—to secure his second Australian Open crown and 21st career Grand Slam, breaking a tie he previously held with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most in men’s tennis history.
Tertius Pickard/Associated Press
The win did not appear to be in the cards for the 35-year-old Spaniard, particularly following an 84-minute second set that Medvedev won after a 7-5 tiebreaker.