Melbourne (AP) – In the final of the Australian Open, there is a lot at stake for the Spanish tennis professional Rafael Nadal.
The 35-year-old can not only win for the second time after 2009 in Melbourne, he can also celebrate his 21st Grand Slam title with a win this Sunday (9.30 a.m. German time / Eurosport) against the Russian world number two Daniil Medvedev . This would make Nadal the sole men’s record winner in the four most important tennis tournaments. At the moment, the Spaniard, like his rivals – the Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic and the Swiss Roger Federer – has collected 20 Grand Slam titles.
“We can make history, but the truth is that two months ago we didn’t know if I could even come back to the tour,” said Nadal, who was sidelined for months last season with a foot problem.
Medvedev is aiming for his second title at a Grand Slam event. The 25-year-old triumphed at the US Open in New York last September and can now – under certain conditions – probably replace Djokovic at the top of the world rankings in mid or late February.
The two finalists in comparison
| Nadal | Medvedev | |
|---|---|---|
| old | 35 | 25 |
| origin | Manacor, Majorca, Spain | Moscow, Russia |
| world ranking position | 5 | 2 |
| title | 89 | 14 |
| Grand Slam title | 20 | 1 |
Nadal’s path to the final
| round | opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 round | Marcos Giron (USA) | 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2nd round | Yannick Hanfmann (Karlsruhe) | 6:2, 6:3, 6:4 |
| 3rd round | Karen Khachanov (Russia) | 6:3, 6:2, 3:6, 6:1 |
| round of 16 | Adrian Mannarino (France) | 7:6 (16:14), 6:2, 6:2 |
| Quarterfinals | Denis Shapovalov (Canada) | 6:3, 6:4, 4:6, 3:6, 6:3 |
| semifinals | Matteo Berrettini (Italy) | 6:3, 6:2, 3:6, 6:3 |
The way to the final of Medvedev
| round | opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 round | Henri Laaksonen (Switzerland) | 6:1, 6:4, 7:6 (7:3) |
| 2nd round | Nick Kyrgios (Australia) | 7:6 (7:1), 6:4, 4:6, 6:2 |
| 3rd round | Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands) | 6:4, 6:4, 6:2 |
| round of 16 | Maxime Cressy (USA) | 6:2, 7:6 (7:4), 6:7 (4:7), 7:5 |
| Quarterfinals | Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) | 6:7 (4:7), 3:6, 7:6 (7:2), 7:5, 6:4 |
| semifinals | Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) | 7:6 (7:5), 4:6, 6:4, 6:1 |