2 Responses to ao22nadal_medvedev

1. Voo de Mar says:

   January 30, 2022 at 5:54 pm

   Points won by each set: | 17-31, 42-47, 37-34, 41-36, 45-41 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   14 % Nadal – 28 of 189… 23 % Medvedev – 43 of 182
   Percentage of winners:
   37 % Nadal – 68 of 182… 39 % Medvedev – 74 of 188

   Unbelievable final, potentially the most important match of the Open Era because the 36-year-old Nadal [5] has now won one more major title than 35 y.o. Djokovic & 41 y.o. Federer. Nadal’s biggest rivals couldn’t participate; admittedly Djokovic arrived in Australia but he was deported after ten days because he isn’t vaccinated (!) – due to Covid-19 all participants of the event should have taken double vaccine. Federer struggles with an injury, rarely plays in the past two years, actually since Covid-19 hit the world…
   Nadal led 4:1 in the 2nd set, later on he wasted a set point serving at 5:3 (hit second serve 171 kph then, perhaps his fastest 2nd serve of the night), in the tie-break he led *5:3, attacked the net 3 times in 4 points losing them all. As he trailed *2:3 (0/40) in the 3rd set, he seemed to be finished – nobody won the Australian Open final trailing two-sets-to-love since 1965, Nadal couldn’t get a win of this kind since 2007, he had won the title in Melbourne just once before (2009), his opponent ten years younger… Nadal survived the 6th game and got a second wind (there was 3:4, 0/15). The 4th set was the most physical: Medvedev signalised problems with his thighs and to the end of the match he needed a physio for massaging. Nadal almost couldn’t get a point directly behind his serve, but he saved two break points at 0:1, another two at 4:3 (broke at 2-all on his seventh break point). It was a set when they both were trying to apply serve-and-volley tactics with higher frequency and were overusing dropshots. Nadal got a break at 2-all in the decider, he was two points away from the title at 5:3, at *5:4 (30/0) he played catastrophic tennis quickly dropping four points in a row, but regained control over his emotions in the following game, breaking after two ‘deuces’ – Medvedev led 30/15, struck 205 kph down the T, but Nadal somehow returned and finished the point with a tight angle chasing a dropshot. Serving to capture the title for the second time he was perfect, and converted his first match point with a backhand volley winner. # The match lasted 5 hours 24 minutes (8-minute toilet breaks before sets 3 and 5), thirty-three minutes longer than their US Open final three years before. It’s the second longest match in the tournament history, longer only experienced Djokovic and Nadal in the final ten years ago, when they played two points fewer! “The way he managed to play throughout all these sets, even in the tough moments, for him it was for making history,” said Medvedev. “For sure he tried not to think about it, but it must have been somewhere in his head.” The Russian representative was respectively 7, 9, 6 points away in consecutive sets to win the epic encounter, close and far away, similar scenario to the French Open ’84 final when McEnroe was 6, 5, 8 points. “It was one of the most emotional matches of my career,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony. “To share the court with Daniil was just an honour. It is amazing. To be honest, one and a half months ago I wasn’t sure if was able to be back on the Tour playing tennis again. But today I am here in front of all of you with this trophy in front of me. You are just amazing, thank you so much.” In the second part of the ’21 season, the Spaniard was struggling with a foot injury.

   Nadal’s route to his record 21st Grand Slam title (second at the Australian Open):
   1 Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
   2 Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
   3 Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
   4 Adrian Mannarino 7-6(14), 6-2, 6-2 *
   Q Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3
   S Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
   W Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5

   Serve & volley: Nadal 4/11, Medvedev 8/14

   # Comparison of their two Slam finals:
   US Open ’19: Nadal d. Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4… 4 hours 51 minutes… Total points: 177-164… 9 points away
   Aus Open ’22: Nadal d. Medvedev 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5… 5 hours 24 minutes… Total points: 182-189… 6 points away

   Five-setters: Nadal 24-13, Medvedev 3-8
   * The longest tie-break in Nadal’s career (he saved four set points)

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   January 31, 2022 at 1:16 pm

   Medvedev has lost three times ‘5-7’ when the score hit 5-all in the 5th set:
   Roland Garros ’19 (1R): Herbert 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 5-7… 3 points away (had mini-MP at 4:3, earlier led *2:0)
   Wimbledon ’19 (3R): Goffin 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7… 4 points away (had two mini-MPs at 4:3, earlier led 4:1, 30-all)
   Aus Open ’22 (F): Nadal 6-2, 7-6, 4-6, 4-6, 5-7… 6 points away

   In the Australian Open ’22 quarterfinal Medvedev defeated Auger: 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 being 5, 1, 9 points away from defeat in consecutive sets (in the 4th set he fought off a match point with a service winner). It was the first 4-hour win for Medvedev (exactly it lasted 4:42h).

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