Rafael Nadal Wins 21st Grand Slam

Being honest, one and a half months ago I didn’t know if I would be back on the tour playing tennis again and today I am here in front of you with the trophy again.

Professional tennis player Rafael Nadal after winning a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open final on Sunday.

• 35-year-old Nadal of Spain, the fifth-ranked tennis player in the world, claimed this victory after beating 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev of Russia, the second-ranked tennis player in the world.
• After the match (which lasted over five hours), Nadal became the only person to ever win 21 Grand Slam titles in men’s singles. The Grand Slam tournaments are considered to be the “most prestigious individual competitions in tennis,” and consist of four majors throughout the year: The Australian Open, Rolland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
• The victory came as a surprise to even Nadal – just last year he was considering retiring due to struggles with a rare degenerative bone disease in his left foot, which ended his season last August. In late December, he also contracted Covid-19. After the final, he told reporters: “I was not ready physically for these kind of battles … I gave it everything … It was the day to give everything.”

Big Picture: During the post-match press conference, Nadal explained he doesn’t think much about being considered the “GOAT” (Greatest Of All Time): “I don’t care much if I am the one or not the one, or the best of history, not the best of history.” He said that he “just wanted to keep believing until the end … and that’s what I did … keep belief in trying to find a solution.” When asked what carried him through despite the challenges he faced, he responded: “Love for the game, passion, positive attitude and working spirit. That’s all, no? And the right people next to me helping every single day.”

Rafael Nadal‘s Australian Open win came despite the champ declaring he wasn’t physically ready (The Australian)

Australian Open: Rafael Nadal wins record-breaking 21st grand slam after beating Daniil Medvedev in epic final (CNN)

Nadal’s shock response to GOAT question after epic win takes him past Federer and Djokovic (Fox Sports)

Click HERE to watch the post-match press conference and HERE to watch highlights from the match.