How many times has Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open? How many Grand Slams has he appeared in?
Rafael Nadal stands a chance on Sunday to become the second man in the Open Era with a double Career Slam to his name. If he defeats Daniil Medvedev in the final of the 2022 Australian Open, the Spaniard will have done something only Novak Djokovic has previously achieved -- winning all four grand slams twice in their career.
The double Career Slam is not the only record on the line for the World No. 5. A win over the World No. 2 will fetch him his second Australian Open title and his sixth Major title on hardcourt. Furthermore, he will become the undisputed leader in the Slam race, overtaking Djokovic and Roger Federer who have won 20 Grand Slam titles apiece.
@DaniilMedwed secured a hard-fought 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 6-1 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, setting up a tantalising battle against Rafael Nadal in the men's singles final.
🇷🇺 @DaniilMedwed secured a hard-fought 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 6-1 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, setting up a tantalising battle against Rafael Nadal in the men's singles final.
Read how the semifinal match unfolded ⬇️
#AusOpen • #AO2022
The Australian Open has been the Spaniard's least successful Major. Before 2022, he had competed 16 times at the tournament and won only once in 2009 which was his fifth appearance in Melbourne. Seeded No. 1, he defeated four seeded opponents on his way to winning the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
His first significant match-up of the tournament was against 13th seed Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth round, which Nadal won 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The quarterfinal against sixth seed Gilles Simon was another straight-sets (6-2, 7-5, 7-5) victory for the No.1 seed.
In the semifinals, he faced off against compatriot Fernando Verdasco. The 14th seed took the first set in a tiebreaker before Nadal fought his way back to take the next two sets. The fourth set went to Verdasco in a tiebreaker.
With all to play for in the final set, Nadal held his nerve to force a break of serve and take the match 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-7(1), 6-4 after a staggering five hours and 14 minutes.
It was a significant achievement for Rafael Nadal, who was 23 at the time. It was the first Major final he had reached on hardcourts, dispelling the narrative that he was a one-trick claycourt pony.
Rafael Nadal 2009 Australian Open:
First Five Matches = 9 hours 13 Minutes
SF vs. Verdasco + Final vs. Federer = 9 hours and 19 minutes https://t.co/VBGdsgOV6b
The final against Roger Federer was a back-and-forth affair.
Nadal took the first set with a break of serve in Federer's final service game and then the third in a tiebreaker. Federer, the No. 2 seed at the tournament, took the second and fourth sets with an early break of serve.
But it was the No. 1 seed who prevailed in the final set, breaking Federer's serve twice to take the set and the match 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2. This was the first time a Spaniard had won the Australian Open.
Since then, the 35-year-old has reached the final at the tournament on four separate occasions prior to his most recent run. In 2012 and 2019, he fell to Djokovic for his 5th and 15th Major respectively. The 2014 edition saw Stan Wawrinka outlast Nadal to win his first Grand Slam.
The 2017 edition was a repeat of the 2009 final, with the result reversed in favor of the Swiss for his 18th Grand Slam.
How many Grand Slams has Rafael Nadal appeared in?
Since his Grand Slam debut at the Wimbledon Championships in 2003 as a 17-year-old, the Spaniard has appeared in 63 Majors. His most successful Slam is Roland Garros, where he has won 13 titles in 17 appearances.
Out of 15 appearances at the US Open, the Mallorcan has triumphed four times -- most recently in 2019, which also marks his last appearance at the tournament so far. He has won twice at Wimbledon (14 appearances) and only once at the Australian Open (17 appearances).
Federer (Miami, 2005)
Fognini (US Open, 2015)
Tsitsipas (Australian Open, 2021)
Nadal is beaten from 2 sets up for only the *third* time in his career 😧
@steftsitsipas #AusOpen https://t.co/hYOxTCOdZK
In addition to six finals at Melbourne Park, the current World No. 5 has reached one semifinal (2008) and has exited at the quarterfinal stage seven times. In his last appearance in 2021, the Spaniard uncharacteristically surrendered a two-set lead and lost in five to Stefanos Tsistipas.