Australian Open 2022: Underdog Rafael Nadal feels the unexpected hand of history

Some may wonder if this is a little premature, given that he still has to overcome the formidable hard-court lover Daniil Medvedev in the final. But merely having the chance to play for another major trophy is a triumph in itself for Nadal, who wondered as recently as “one month and a half ago” whether he would even be able to step on the court again. After calling a premature end to the 2021 season in mid-August, his attempts to treat a chronic foot problem were not looking promising in early December.

“I went through a lot of challenging moments, a lot of days of hard work without seeing a light there,” Nadal said. “I had a lot of conversations with the team, with the family about what can happen if the things continued like this, thinking that maybe it is a chance to say goodbye.

“For a long time I wasn’t able to practise. Sometimes I went on court and I was able to practise 20 minutes, sometimes 45, sometimes zero, sometimes two hours, but it had been very, very rough in terms of imagining myself playing best-of-five sets at this moment.”

It is hard even now for Nadal to contemplate how he is bounding around the court, producing the physically intense style of play that has defined his career. On Sunday he contests his 29th major final — close to 17 years after his first at the 2005 French Open — and bids for a first Australian Open trophy since 2009. He also joins Ken Rosewall, Roger Federer, Mal Anderson and Andre Agassi as only the fifth man aged 35 or older to reach this stage of a grand-slam tournament in the open era.

Nadal will never fully cure his foot problem. He had Müller-Weiss syndrome diagnosed in 2005, a degenerative condition that has caused a deformity in a bone in the central part of his left foot, and has always been aware that it could, at any time, flare up to the extent that it might force him into retirement. Last August the pain became unbearable and he was forced to abort his comeback in the American hard-court swing after two matches.

“It has been a very tough six months,” Nadal said. “In terms of life, I can’t complain at all, especially during the times that we are facing with plenty of people dying around the world. That’s tough in life, not what I went through.

“But in terms of a personal thing, every day has been an issue in terms of problems in the foot. Honestly, the doubts are going to be here probably for the rest of my career because I have what I have and that’s something that we cannot fix.”

A bout of Covid-19 last month did not help Nadal’s cause, either, leaving him tight for time before the start of this season. But his fighting spirit knows no bounds and he has built up a wave of momentum since he arrived in Melbourne on December 30, winning three matches for his 89th ATP title at the Summer Set warm-up and another six to reach the final of the main event.

Using all of his considerable experience, Nadal has peaked at the right time. He produced a tactical masterclass against the No 7 seed Matteo Berrettini, peppering the Italian’s backhand with his left-handed spin-heavy forehand. He did not face a single break point in the first two sets.

While Berrettini, 25, threatened a comeback by taking the third set, Nadal dug deep and did not allow his fresher-faced opponent to race ahead in the fourth.

The pivotal moment came in the eighth game, when Berrettini made several forehand errors under pressure and Nadal took full advantage, breaking for 5-3 before serving out for a tremendous victory.

“For me it’s amazing,” Nadal said. “I’m super happy to be able to compete for the last three weeks at the level that I am doing.

“It’s surprising for me to be able to play at the level that I am playing, but also just compete and play tennis at the high level again, facing the most important players of the world.

“It’s something completely unexpected, so I am super happy. Everybody knows me, and I am always going to try my best. Of course my goal now is to win.”

No doubt the door was also kicked open a little further for Nadal by the Australian government. Novak Djokovic was the clear favourite to get to No 21 first until he was deported on the eve of the tournament on “health and good order” grounds.

It is now quite possible that the Serbian’s decision not to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will also cost him the enviable status as the greatest male tennis player of all-time.

Nadal still has much work to do, though, if he is to break the tie with his great rivals Djokovic and Roger Federer in the grand-slam count.

He is the underdog against Medvedev, who is bidding for his own slice of tennis history by becoming the first man in the open era to win his second grand-slam title immediately after his first. Four months after denying Djokovic No 21 in the US Open final, the 25-year-old Russian can do the same against Nadal here.

“’I’m happy to have the chance to try to stop somebody from making history one more time,” Medvedev said.

“I know what Rafa is going for, I knew what Novak was going for. I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I am trying not to listen to this.’ But it’s kind of their thing, not mine. I’m just there to try to win the final.”

– The Times