Australian Open Recap

Story posted February 6, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Juan Mendez

Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 and 7-5 to obtain his 21st Grand Slam, and his second Australian Open Title.

In the duel, which lasted five hours and 25 minutes, Nadal demonstrated an overwhelming essence of veteranship and control when trailing after two sets. 

Submerged in a game tightly packed with lengthy rallies, the growth of Medvedev allowed for a commanding standpoint that only a player such as Nadal could break down. 

Ten years younger and winner of the 2021 US Open, Medvedev attempted to gather enough momentum to obtain his second big title within the short span, which would have evidently positioned the young Russian near Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings.

The journeys that led to this memorable final were quite different, where Nadal defeated Matteo Berrettini in five sets, a significantly shorter bout that, similarly to the final, proved the Spaniard does not believe in the concept of time, settling another appearance in the record books as one of the oldest Grand Slam winners. 

The trek that awaited Medvedev consisted of home product, Nick Kyrgios, a familiar name who is capable of taking out tennis giants, but was taken care of in three sets, setting the pace for tougher opponents that led toward Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 4 in the world, whom he took care of in four sets. 

Coming into this matchup, the Russian was favored in terms of ranking, but facing one of the greatest to ever grace the court will humble even the brightest, upcoming talents in the sport.

Dexterity, resistance and the bare arm strength of Nadal permitted the prolonging of what seemed as an inescapable deficit, but break points within lead changing games altered the playing field for Nadal, who in simple terms, outlasted Medvedev in every battle. 

Every energy draining swing of the racket and hopeful net attack brought the viewers a pleasant final to watch, where the champion crowned was none other than the matador himself.

Will Nadal bring home another title on his preferred clay surface in Roland Garros? 

Only time will tell, only Nadal will tell.

 

Juan Mendez is a second-year student majoring in journalism. To contact him, email @jsm6062@psu.edu.

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Juan Mendez

Second-year / Journalism

Juan S. Mendez is a second-year student from Sogamoso, Colombia majoring in journalism at Penn State University. He is a frequent CommRadio contributor through play-by-play and production for Penn State sports, primarily soccer. As a writer and podcast member, he also contributes in covering the NFL, NBA, international soccer, college sports, and occasional music reviews. Bilingual, and with a substantially dispersed knowledge, Juan intends to work covering multiple sports internationally in English and Spanish at a professional level.
To contact Juan, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).