Rafael Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev in the first Grand Slam tournament of 2022 in Australia to claim the coveted title. He defeated Medvedev in five sets of 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, and 7-5.

35-year-old Nadal has gotten his 21st Grand Slam title, a historic milestone with this win. He officially broke his tie for 20 titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The match went on for 5 hours and 24 minutes, and it started with Nadal losing the first two sets to Medvedev. He turned things around in the final three sets, claiming himself a decisive win.

He had won the 20th Grand Slam title back in October 2020 after winning against Djokovic during the French Open in Paris.

After the match, he acknowledged that the game was tough, and he referred to his opponent as an "amazing champion."

He recalled being in a similar position a couple of times, and he said that he was certain that Medvedev would get to win the title a few times during his career.

For Nadal, this was one of the most emotional moments of his career.

Before the match even took place, Nadal talked about his potential win. He recognized that reaching the finals for yet another time meant a lot because he struggled with a foot injury.

He mentioned that he had been a little unlucky with the Australian Open, making the win even more significant. Nadal won it once before in 2009, but he had come close a few times while competing against Djokovic and Federer.

Therefore, it was quite incredible that he has won the event in 2022.

Medvedev is currently considered number 2 in the world. He won his one and only Grand Slam title during the US Open in 2021.

Djokovic had issues related to COVID-19 that kept him from taking part in this year's tournament.