The tennis world has been waiting since last summer for Novak Djokovic to settle alone on the roof of the world, with 21 majors on the clock. Finally, after his failure in the final of the US Open and his failed attempt to play at the Australian Open, the Serb remains stuck at 20, like the convalescent quadra Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Finally – unexpected reversal of the situation a month ago – it is the Spaniard who could win the timpani, Sunday in Melbourne.
500. By reaching the final of the Australian Open, @Rafael Nadal won the 500th game of his career on hard court and became the 4th player to cross this symbolic bar (after Agassi, Federer and Djokovic).
🖋 Hard has not always been the dominant surface on the circuit. pic.twitter.com/gguflS1srk
— Game, Set and Maths (@JeuSetMaths) January 28, 2022
This Friday, the 5th in the world qualified with authority for the final by eliminating the 7th, the Italian Matteo Berrettini, in four sets (6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3), under a roof closed due to rain and wind. Nadal is now waiting to know the identity of the last opponent (Daniil Medvedev, the 2nd at ATP, or Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 4th) likely to prevent him from sitting on the throne of his sport.
five months away
At 35, the Mallorcan has come a long way. Due to a foot injury, then Covid-19, he had not played since August 6 when he made his winning comeback in early January at the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne. The king of Roland-Garros (13 titles) could therefore continue in the same city, on the occasion of his sixth final at the Australian Open where he has so far only won once, in 2009 .
“You have to fight,” he said on Friday in front of a conquered audience, when analyzing his semi-final. Don’t worry, we trust “Rafa” for that, as he proved again in his quarter-final victory in five sets against the Canadian Denis Shapovalov.