Nadal was set to quit ...but now he can make history

BARELY two months ago Rafael Nadal was discussing with his inner circle the possibility of waving farewell to the sport which has been his life.

In a state of despair, there was zero expectation that by the end of January he might be taking the lead in the epic battle with his two great rivals to see who will end up with the most Grand Slam titles.

yet securing Slam No21 is one of two historic outcomes possible tomorrow when he meets Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open.

The other is that the 26-year-old Russian will become the new world No1 and the first man in the modern era to back up a first major success with victory in the next one he contests. That was beyond even Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer — albeit those three broke through at a younger age before amassing 60 between them.

The Spaniard made the final by defeating Matteo Berrettini, and Medvedev was involved in yet another match marked out by drama, fractiousness, or both in equal measure. Amid furious exchanges with the umpire and more controversy over illegal coaching involving his opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Medvedev prevailed 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Nadal was unusually emotional after making what will be his 29th Grand Slam final, this one coming after a foot injury which saw him miss the second half of last season, compounded by a bout of Covid in December. He stands on the brink of a triumph similar to Federer’s in 2017, when the Swiss also made a winning return in Melbourne after months out the previous season.

‘I went through a lot of challenging moments, a lot of days of hard work without seeing a light there,’ said the Spaniard after a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win.

‘I had a lot of conversations with the team, with the family about what is going to happen if things continue like this, thinking that maybe it is a chance to say goodbye. That was not a lot of months ago. To be able to be where I am now — I really can’t explain in words how important it is for me in terms of energy, in terms of personal satisfaction.

‘Just to compete and play tennis at the high level again, facing the most important players of the world, it’s unbelievable. For me it is much more important to have the chance to play tennis than win the 21.’

This would be his second Australian title and he joins Ken Rosewall, Federer, Mal Anderson and Andre Agassi as only the fifth man aged 35 or over to make a Slam final in the modern era. Not even torrential rain which forced the closure of the roof — his least favourite environment — could prevent him seeing off Berrettini.

Djokovic may look on from afar, perplexed.

WATCHING BRIEF...

RAFAEL NADAL v DANIIL MEDVEDEV TV: LIVE Eurosport 1, set to start 8.30am tomorrow.