"I thought 'f***, I am going to lose like in 2012 and 2017', but I just kept fighting" - Rafael Nadal on getting broken while serving for Australian Open title
Rafael Nadal's quest for his 21st Grand Slam ended in an extraordinary Australian Open final on Sunday, where he beat medvedev" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Speaking to Eurosport soon after his historic triumph, Nadal described the final as "one of the most emotional matches" of his career.
The Spaniard, who was broken while serving for the championship at *5-4 in the decider, revealed that he had to motivate himself to not give up. He admitted to having flashbacks of his previous five-set losses in the Australian Open finals of 2012 and 2017.
Nadal went on to break Medvedev's serve after an elongated deuce game and subsequently served out the match to love.
"I thought, 'f***, I am going to lose like in 2012 and 2017'. But I just kept fighting. I can lose, he can win, but I can't give up," the Spaniard said. "But I said 'I need to keep fighting, I need to stay strong mentally' and that's what I did. And then I played a great last game."
How? Just how?
#AusOpen @RafaelNadal https://t.co/ovrAHEF1T5
When asked to talk about the emotions of winning his 21st Grand Slam title, Nadal admitted to being "super happy" and satisfied with his achievement. He said he was surprised at how he persevered throughout the match after his recent struggles with injuries.
"Well I don't know," he said. "I am just destroyed now honestly. I'm super super happy I can't explain how satisfied I am. How special this feeling is for me right now. At the same time I feel destroyed I can't believe how I resisted the match like this after all the things I went through in the last months. I think I held the spirit and the belief and was just one of the most emotional matches of my tennis career."
The 35-year-old further highlighted how tired he felt after losing the first couple of sets. He lavished rich praise on Daniil Medvedev's fighting spirit and relentless ball-striking. Nadal lauded the Russian's ability to remain tough in tense situations and described him as an "amazing champion."
"I was tired after the first two sets already. I had a big chance in the second two times and I got a little nervous. But yeah against Daniil everything is difficult, he is very smart, he is able to put one more ball in all the time and he's able to change the dynamic of the match. He is able to find solutions and that's why I believe he is an amazing champion. He is going to win many slams," he added.
What a beautiful celebration. Rafael Nadal #ausopen https://t.co/wqe73oMmIh
"Having this trophy with me feels amazing" - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal proceeded to shed light on his mindset heading into the third set. He revealed that he encouraged himself to believe in his chances and fight till the end. Having clinched the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for the second time in his career, the Spaniard admitted that he "feels amazing."
"I just tried to keep believing I said to myself 'okay I lost a lot of times here having advantage on the score so maybe today is the other way, I need to fight until the end and believe'," the Spaniard said. "It was going to be almost impossible but I can't forgive myself if I'm not fighting until the end. Now having this trophy with me feels amazing."
All of us after that match 😅
You've earned it, @RafaelNadal
#AusOpen • #AO2022 https://t.co/0od3OtT0nV