“An Inspiration to me”, is what Roger Federer wrote after the Rafel record 21st grand slam win at the Australian Open. It was so good to see a champion appreciating another champion. Rafael Nadal proved once again why he is amongst the all-time greats of the open era. The three greats of tennis in the last 20 years- Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, And Novak Djokovic have been trying to be ahead of each other. They share 61 grand slams among them Roger -20, Rafael-21, Novak -20. But to see the mutual respect they have for each other is just phenomenal.
Federer wrote on Instagram that both he and Nadal were joking about being on crutches a few months ago. He further stated that Nadal’s recovery was an inspiration to him.
Federer is Not the Only One Who Praised Rafael:
Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion himself and who was in controversy himself, has praised Nadal as well. The Serbian said that Nadal’s victory was an amazing achievement. He further stated in his social media post, “ Always impressive fighting spirit that prevailed another time”.
This has impressed even the great John McEnroe who posted that looking at what Rafael had gone through in the last 6 months where he went through surgery then covid it was the greatest of comebacks of all times.
The growth of Rafael Nadal from a clay champion to a world-beater in the past 20 years is unparalleled. The Spaniard has blossomed into being a tremendous athlete and a true fighter. It was on display on Sunday in the Australian Open finals vs Daniil Medvedev. The final match lasted for 5 sets where neither Nadal nor Medvedev gave an inch to each other. But at the of the match, his determination and experience helped him win the all-important encounter. This is his 2nd Australian Open after 2009. Noting that he 2 Wimbledon, 4 US Open, and an astonishing 13 Frech open, he is easily an all-time great.
The last 1 year was hard for Rafael. He was down with a foot injury and then Covid but they couldn’t stop him. Nadal himself has revealed that he was contemplating taking retirement last year. As per him, he even had chat about it with his family members.
Greatest Of Come back with more to come: Rafael Nadal
After his 2009 win, Nadal had never won a tournament where his luck always ran out. Australian Open has been the stage of his earlier mid-tournament exist due to mid-match injury.
Rafael Nadal has indeed won in the absence of two other greats, i.e. Novak, and Federer. But his accomplishment is still high in stature. , i.e. Novak, and Federer. But his accomplishment is high in stature. He overcame many young players, injuries, and lack of match practice and beat all odds. Injured with a knee issue, Federer (40 years old) may be able to return to the game later this year. In the future, we can hope to see many more battles among these 3 greats of tennis.
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