Rafael Nadal started his 2022 season in the best way possible when he won the Australian Open, and it was a catalyst for his upcoming success.
No one expected Rafael Nadal to win the 2022 Australian Open, but partially thanks to the absence of his biggest rival, Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard managed to lift his 21st Grand Slam title.
He faced a lot of good players in Melbourne and lost six sets on his way to the final. Only two players that he played had an experience with a Grand Slam final, and one of them almost stopped him.
It was in the final when Nadal was losing 0-2 in what is now known as one of the best comebacks in his career. Do you know all the players that he defeated? You can test your knowledge in our quiz, and see the summary of his memorable win below that.
Rafael Nadal's 2022 Australian Open Triumph Summary:
The Australian Open has often been a challenging hunting ground for Nadal. Prior to this win, his only victory in Melbourne came in 2009, but without his main rival in the draw, his chances were much higher.
While all of the spotlight was on Djokovic's deportation in the early days, and how was the situation handled by the authorities, it soon switched to the Spanish player, who was coming closer and closer to his 21st major with every match that he played.
As the sixth seed, Nadal cruised in his first two matches against Marcos Giron and Yannick Hanfmann, winning both in straight sets, but soon, challenging opponents started to appear on the other side of the court.
In the third round, Karen Khachanov managed to take one set from the Spaniard. Adrian Mannarino lost in straight sets in the fourth round, but in the quarterfinal match, Denis Shapovalov erased a 0-2 deficit and took Nadal to five sets.
After the Spanish player overcame that challenge, Matteo Berrettini was another one to push him, but the Italian took the match to four sets, and couldn't do any more damage.
But the biggest challenge came in the final. Nadal was already losing 0-2 and 2-3 in the third set when he was facing three consecutive break points at 0-40. And that moment, would later become one of the most iconic moments, as that proved to be the real turning point.
Nadal ultimately won the match in five sets and won his second Australian Open title and 21st Grand Slam overall.
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