Barely two months ago Rafael Nadal was discussing with his inner circle the possibility of waving farewell to the sport which has been his life.
In a state of despair, there was zero expectation that by the end of January he might be taking the lead in the epic battle with his two great rivals to see who will end up with the most Grand Slam titles.
Yet securing Slam No 21 is one of two historic outcomes possible on Sunday when he meets the scrawny figure of Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open.
Barely two months ago Rafael Nadal was discussing the possibility of waving farewell to tennis
Yet securing Slam No 21 is one of two historic outcomes possible in the Australian Open final
The other is that the 26-year-old Russian will become the new world No 1 and the first man in the modern era to back up a first major success with victory in the next one he contests. That was beyond even Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer — albeit those three broke through at a younger age before amassing 60 between them.
The Spaniard made the final by defeating Matteo Berrettini, and Medvedev was involved in yet another match marked out by drama, fractiousness, or both in equal measure. Amid furious exchanges with the umpire and more controversy over illegal coaching involving his opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Medvedev prevailed 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Nadal was unusually emotional after making what will be his 29th Grand Slam final, this one coming after a foot injury which saw him miss the second half of last season, compounded by a bout of Covid in December. He stands on the brink of a triumph similar to Federer’s in 2017, when the Swiss also made a winning return in Melbourne after months out the previous season.
The 26-year-old Russian Daniil Medvedev will become the new world No 1 if he wins though
‘I went through a lot of challenging moments, a lot of days of hard work without seeing a light there,’ said the Spaniard after a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win that saw him defuse the Italian’s immense power.
‘I had a lot of conversations with the team, with the family about what is going to happen if things continue like this, thinking that maybe it is a chance to say goodbye. That was not a lot of months ago. To be able to be where I am now — I don’t know, I really can’t explain in words how important it is for me in terms of energy, in terms of personal satisfaction.
‘Just to compete and play tennis at the high level again, facing the most important players of the world, it’s something unbelievable. Being very honest, for me it is much more important to have the chance to play tennis than win the 21.’
This would be his second Australian title and he joins Ken Rosewall, Federer, Mal Anderson and Andre Agassi as only the fifth man aged 35 or over to make a Slam final in the modern era. Not even torrential rain which forced the closure of the roof — his least favourite environment — could prevent him seeing off Berrettini. Djokovic may look on from afar, perplexed.
Nadal was unusually emotional after making what will be his 29th Grand Slam final
The Spaniard made the final taking place on Sunday by defeating Matteo Berrettini (left)
Nadal’s match had nothing like the arguments over stalling which accompanied his quarter-final win over Denis Shapovalov.
There was no sign of the personal edge that has long existed between the deceptively athletic Medvedev and his equally quirky Greek opponent Tsitsipas.
Officials have become so concerned by the coaching from the sidelines of his father Apostolos that they stationed Greek umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore under the player box to spy on him.
After furious complaints from Medvedev, she could be seen signalling to chair umpire Jaume Campistol that he needed to hand out a code violation in the fourth set.
In his semi-comic way, the Russian had earlier unleashed a tirade at Campistol in protest at the coaching. It reached the unlikely conclusion of Medvedev telling the official: ‘You are, how can I say it, a small cat.’
Amid furious exchanges with the umpire, Medvedev prevailed against Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas later explained simply that his father cannot help himself and said of his opponent’s anger: ‘Could be maybe a tactic. It’s all right. He’s not the most mature person anyway. I’m used to it. They’ve been targeting me already a long time. Most of them (coaches) get away with it and they do it pretty smartly, I can tell you.’
There is a certain imperviousness about Medvedev, who has the ability to lose control and then reset. He is an oddball but proved a better match player than Tsitsipas. Now he comes up against the man whose mental resilience is matched only by Djokovic’s.
‘I think we can say it was funny, but I was definitely out of my mind,’ said Medvedev. ‘Tennis, you know, we don’t fight with the fists, but tennis is a fight. It’s one-on-one against another player.
‘It’s tough, because I can get really emotional. His father is saying something in Greek just before I return. But I don’t know Greek.’
Officials have become so concerned by the coaching from the sidelines of Tsitsipas father’
Greek star Tsitsipas then later explained simply that his father (left) cannot help himself
