Rafael Nadal Vs Daniil Medvedev Australian Open 2022 Final Highlights: Nadal wins thriller to lift 21st Grand Slam title

Time Spent on court this Australian Open:

Rafael Nadal: 17 hours and 4 minutes

Daniil Medvedev: 17 hours and 29 minutes

[Read Nadal- Medvedev]

Sets lost: 4-5

[Read Nadal- Medvedev]

Aces: 42-94

Fastest Serve: 32-33

As we see, all their battles have incidentally taken on hard court. They both definitely are strong on this surface but as of now, it looks like heading Nadal's way. Or is it?

ATP Finals 2020: Hard Court- Medvedev Won the Semifinal 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

ATP Finals 2020: Hard Court- Nadal Won the Round-Robin match 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

US Open 2021: Hard Court- Nadal won the final 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4

Canadian Masters 2019: Hard Court- Nadal won the final Nadal 6-3 6-0

Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev have faced each other four times on the tour and the Nadal leads their head-to-head battle 3-1.

Around 30 minutes to go for the start of the finale.

Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev is one you don't want to miss!

In this lovely piece by my colleague Aratrick Mondal, we take a look at a few key aspects that could help Nadal beat Medvedev. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Now that we have mentioned Medvedev's prowess after winning the first set, let's take a look at what the Spaniard needs to do beat the Russian.

It is important for Daniil Medvedev to win the first set because at hard court Majors, Medvedev is 37-0 (win-loss) after winning the first set.

Let's take a look at some of Nadal's biggest win-loss ratios:

Overall career: 1031-219

Grand Slam: 291-41

Let's take a look at some of Medvedev's biggest win-loss ratios:

Overall career: 225-100

Grand Slam: 45-18

It was the Russian who stopped Novak Djokovic from scripting history at the 2021 US Open final. He has reached the Australian Open for the second year in a row. He stopped 21 from happening in 2021. Can he do it yet again in 2022?

First round: Henri Laaksonen (Switzerland) 6-1 6-4 7-6(3)

Second round: Nick Kyrgios (Australia) 7-6(1) 6-4 4-6 6-2

Third round: Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands) 6-4 6-4 6-2

Fourth round: Maxime Cressy (United States) 6-2 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 7-5

Quarter-finals: 9-Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) 6-7(4) 3-6 7-6(2) 7-5 6-4

Semi-finals: 4-Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 6-1

Rafael Nadal downplayed his chances before the start of the tournament. That is because he was suffering with a foot injury since the 2021 Roland Garros, where he lost in the semifinal. The 35-year-old played only 5 matches after that and until this AO. During multiple on-court interviews, he maintained that he was just happy to be back playing and was taking it match by match

First round: Marcos Giron (United States) 6-1 6-4 6-2

Second round: Yannick Hanfmann (Germany) 6-2 6-3 6-4

Third round: 28-Karen Khachanov (Russia) 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-1

Fourth round: Adrian Mannarino (France) 7-6(14) 6-2 6-2

Quarter-finals: 14-Denis Shapovalov (Canada) 6-3 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-3

Semi-finals: 7-Matteo Berrettini (Italy) 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3

Now, let's take a look at how the two hard-hitters have reached the final of this Australian Open

Age: 25

ATP ranking: 2

Grand Slam titles: 1

Career ATP titles: 13

2021 Australian Open performance: Final

Best Australian Open performance: Final (2021)

Age: 35

ATP ranking: 5

Grand Slam titles: 20

Career ATP titles: 89

2021 Australian Open performance: Quarter-finals

Best Australian Open performance: Winner (2009)

Daniil Medvedev bagged his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open when he defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Now, he aims to become the first man in the Open Era to win his second Major at the next Slam following his first.

Nadal will also become only the fourth man to win each of the four Grand Slams twice. The 35-year-old Spaniard is also on the verge of becoming the third-oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title, behind Ken Rosewall and Federer

Rafael Nadal, the modern-day great has a lot to fight for today. Should he win, he will overtake Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (at 20 each) in the list of most Grand Slam titles. The 21st has eluded the “Big Three” for a long time now.

Now that we have established the magnitude of this clash, let us go through what's at stake, their stats, tournament form, and other relevant numbers. Are you ready?

Ladies and Gentlemen, just thinking of this game is giving me goosebumps. Yours truly has covered many Grand Slam finals but this one has a completely different feel to it. We have two of the most consistent players on the tour battling it out for a piece of history. 

Hello and Welcome to the live coverage of the Australian Open 2022 Men's Singles Final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev being played at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. We will see history being scripted today as it will either be the Spaniard inching ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer with his 21st Grand Slam title or the Russian winning his second slam and achieving a unique milestone in the Open Era. Irrespective of the result, we are assured of high-octane, top-class tennis. So, sit back, fasten your seat belts, and relax. THIS IS UNMISSABLE!