Huge respect for Nadal for beating me because I really tried my best: Medvedev
Jan 31, 2022
Melbourne [Australia], January 31 : Russia tennis player Daniil Medvedev lauded Rafael Nadal on winning the Australian Open despite being two sets down in the summit clash.
Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev in the men's final of the Australian Open to go past the record of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (both with 20 Grand Slams). As a result, the 35-year-old also clinched his second Australian Open title.
"It was a huge match, for sure some small points, small details that I could have done better if I wanted to win. But that's tennis, that's life. It was a huge match. Rafa played unreal, raised his level. I mean, two sets to love up, I was like, 'C'mon, just go for him, go for more'. In the fifth set, I was like 'make him run'. He was unreal. He was really strong, like the way he played, at four hours I was even surprised. But, of course, we know how Rafa can play. He didn't play for six months. He told me after the match that he didn't practice so much. It was unreal," the official website of Australian Open quoted Medvedev as saying.
"Talking about tennis, I have not much regrets. I'm going to try to continue my best. Yeah, I'm going to work even harder to try to be a champion of some of these great tournaments one day. But ... I'm not really disappointed with the loss and with my tennis or with anything like this," he added.
Under the lights on Rod Laver Arena, the legendary Spaniard looked down and out against Daniil Medvedev. However, the sixth seed demonstrated his trademark big-match mentality, overcoming the Russian 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in front of a raucous crowd in a Melbourne classic. With his dramatic victory, Nadal has claimed sole ownership of the record for the most men's singles Grand Slam titles, moving past Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who are both on 20 major crowns.
"Next time I'm probably going to say when two sets to love down, 'Just do it like Rafa did against you'," Medvedev said.
"The way he managed to play throughout all these sets, even in the tough moments, for him it's for making the history. Even for sure he tries not to think about this, it must have been somewhere in his head. Yeah, huge respect for beating me because I tried my best. I really tried," he added.
The 35-year-old, who also clinched the trophy in Melbourne in 2009, has become just the second player in the Open Era alongside Djokovic to win each of the four majors at least twice.
In a high-quality and physical match that ebbed and flowed, a pumped-up Nadal showcased his fighting spirit to put water on a red-hot Medvedev performance. With his back firmly against the wall after the second set, Nadal's champion mindset shone through as he began to hit through Medvedev with more success in a brutal, heavy-hitting performance to table the turns.
