[imagesource: AP]
Vamos, Rafa!
You can watch a lifetime’s worth of tennis and you may never again see the sort of drama that the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena was treated to yesterday.
Rafa Nadal was two sets down, 2-3 down in the third, and facing three break points at one stage.
But somehow, in a superhuman effort, the Spaniard battled back to win his 21st Grand Slam, taking him ahead of both Roger Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Let’s get the basics out of the way first, with Nadal triumphing over Russian Daniil Medvedev in five hours and 24 minutes, the second-longest final in the tournament’s history.
Credit must go to Medvedev for the standard of his play, matching Nadal stroke for stroke, but in the end it just wasn’t enough.
Here’s a three-minute highlights package:
If you want to go a little deeper, here’s a solid 22-minute wrap:
Honestly, I would consider watching the full match video, coming in at a touch under six hours, to be time well spent:
And then the moment Nadal sealed the title in all its glory:
Time to backtrack a little.
During the second set, a protester jumped down from the stands and landed on the court. According to The Telegraph, they were carrying a sign that said ‘abolish refugee detention’ when they took the three-metre plunge.
This is likely in reference to “the hotels and conditions in which refugees are placed after they enter Australia”.
Security responded rapidly:
AO security were quick to pounce on a protester who invaded Rod Laver Arena. Did not catch what their sign said.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/bzlL1RFZvp
— Tim Callanan (@MrTimCallanan) January 30, 2022
As Nadal grew in confidence the crowd really got behind him, and Medvedev was up against it.
It’s tough not to feel a little sorry for him but he has been very critical of the crowds throughout the tournament.
He was also fined after his semi-final victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas for the way he talked to umpire Jaume Campistol.
Yesterday, he was met by boos as he entered the arena and sarcastically clapped whenever the crowd cheered one of his errors.
He could then be heard calling some in attendance “empty brains”:
“Empty brains… their lives must be very bad!”
Daniil Medvedev makes his feelings clear about the Melbourne crowd #AusOpen | @DaniilMedwed pic.twitter.com/WBFEKt9wBb
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 30, 2022
Australian chair umpire John Blom was given a very tough time throughout the match:
“Step up – it’s the final of a Grand Slam! They’re !”
Daniil Medvedev is pleading for the umpire to take some action against the crowd #AusOpen | @DaniilMedwed pic.twitter.com/g6p643psdA
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 30, 2022
It’s one thing to be enthusiastic but the behaviour of the crowd during the tournament really wasn’t up to scratch.
As cliched as it is, neither player deserved to lose after their Herculean efforts.
But Medvedev did and could hardly hide his frustration during the trophy presentation formalities:
— Sibongile Mafu (@sboshmafu) January 30, 2022
When his time to talk arrived, he was gracious in his praise for Nadal:
“Are you tired?”
Never change, @DaniilMedwed #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/6ys8NqBFs5
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2022
However, after the match, he again lashed out at the crowd and said they had all but ruined his love for the game.
Once more from The Telegraph:
“When I was 12, practising, playing some Russian tournaments, of course watching grand slams on the TV … you dream of being there,” he said. “From now on I’m playing for myself, for my family, to provide [for] my family, for people that trust in me, of course for all the Russians because I feel a lot of support there.
“I’m going to say it like this: If there is a tournament on hard courts in Moscow, before Roland Garros or Wimbledon, I’m going to go there even if I miss the Wimbledon or Roland Garros or whatever. The kid stopped dreaming. It will be tougher to continue tennis when it’s like this.”
It must be spirit-breaking to spend well in excess of five hours giving it your all with the crowd cheering your every misstep.
But that’s what most professionals who come up against Nadal (or Federer) must contend with so he’s not exactly being singled out.
Let’s finish on a high – Rafa chatting with the media this morning and admitting that he hasn’t had much sleep:
A tired – but overjoyed – Rafael Nadal has fronted cameras after his record-breaking win in the #AusOpen last night. @cstanaway #9News pic.twitter.com/T4fUJOra0t
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) January 31, 2022
