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Rafael Nadal is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam title as he takes on Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open 2022. The 2022 Australian Open men’s singles final will take place on Sunday, January 30.
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Rafael Nadal is just one win away from a record 21st career grand slam title. On Sunday the Spaniard will face Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open men’s singles final – and should he beat the Russian he would move one clear of “big three” rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who also have 20 slams to their name.
Sixth seed Nadal progressed to Sunday’s final after beating Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Second seed Medvedev secured his spot with a 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 semi-final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Nadal’s achievement in reaching a 29th grand slam final “comes only a few months after he thought a foot injury could end his illustrious career”, the BBC reported. The 35-year-old admits there were “a lot of challenging moments” and it could have been “a chance to say goodbye”.
Australian Open Final Date, venue, and the UK start time
The 2022 Australian Open men’s singles final will take place on Sunday, January 30, and is due to start at 8:30 am GMT.
The match will be played on Melbourne Park’s main show court, the Rod Laver Arena.
Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev Will Meet in Australian Open Final
The sixth-seeded Nadal will face the No. 2 seed, Daniil Medvedev, in Sunday’s final, the latest clash between the old guard and new wave in men’s tennis.
Medvedev also won in four sets on Friday, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, But Medvedev’s victory was considerably more tempestuous than Nadal’s. After losing his serve in the ninth game of the second set and receiving a code violation for a visible obscenity that he said was misinterpreted, Medvedev shouted angrily at chair umpire Jaume Campistol for most of the changeover, suggesting that Tsitsipas’s father was illegally coaching his son from the player box.
“Are you stupid? His father can talk every point?” Medvedev said from his chair, screaming “Look at me!” at the Spanish official when Campistol turned his gaze back toward the court to try to defuse the situation.
It was an extraordinary outburst, a flashback to combustible champions of the past like John McEnroe. Medvedev said after the match that he regretted the way he has sometimes treated chair umpires.
Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev preview
Sixth seed Rafael Nadal will take on second seed Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday. The Spaniard is one win away from a record 21st Grand Slam title, while the Russian is on the brink of dethroning Novak Djokovic as World No. 1.
Nadal started the 2022 season by winning the Melbourne Summer Set. He has carried that momentum into the Australian Open. He advanced to the third round without dropping a set, before beating Karen Khachanov in four sets and Adrian Mannarino in straight sets to make it to the quarterfinals.
Nadal survived a massive scare from Denis Shapovalov in the last eight, eventually prevailing 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3. He then defeated big-hitting Italian Matteo Berrettini to advance to his sixth Australian Open final.
Medvedev, meanwhile, started his Australian Open campaign with a straight-set win over Henri Laaksonen. He was pushed to four sets by Nick Kyrgios in the second round but was able to come out on top.
The Russian had little trouble beating BBioticvan de Zandschulp in the third round but survived a stern test from Maxime Cressy in the fourth. Medvedev had to claw his way back from a two-set deficit in the quarterfinals against Felix Auger-Aliassime, saving a match point en route to victory.
He then battled past Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach his fourth Grand Slam final.
Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev head-to-head
Sunday’s final will be the fifth meeting between Nadal and Medvedev. The Spaniard currently leads the head-to-head 3-1.
Nadal won their only meeting in a Grand Slam in five sets in the 2019 US Open final. Medvedev won their most recent encounter at the 2020 ATP Finals in three sets.
Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev prediction
Daniil Medvedev was widely considered to be the favorite to win the tournament following the withdrawal of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Russian has lived up to the billing so far but will face arguably his toughest test yet in the shape of Nadal, who has been in terrific form.
The Spaniard will rely heavily on his top-spin forehand to trouble Medvedev. He will also look to bring Medvedev to the net as the Russian does not enjoy venturing forward.
Medvedev, on his part, will need to serve big and return well to put Nadal under pressure. He will also need to play a little more aggressively than he is accustomed to preventing the Spaniard from settling into a rhythm and dominating from the baseline.
What could tilt the scales in Nadal’s favor is the crowd support. The Spaniard will undoubtedly receive the lion’s share of the support from the Melbourne fans and it remains to be seen how Medvedev will deal with that.
The match could well turn out to be one of the finest Grand Slam finals in recent years, with Nadal just about edging out Medvedev to become the first man to win 21 Majors.
‘Nadal vs Medvedev’ streams live free: How to watch ‘Men’s Final’ 2022
Source: Kalayaan News PH
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