After 5 hours and 24 minutes of battle, Nadal won 3 consecutive championship points in the Australian Open final decider 6-5, serving from the outside corner, drawing the ball to Medvedev's forehand, net interception, Nadal cashed in on the championship point!
Shortly after the game, Federer posted a message on social media addressing "My Friends and Great Competitors." "A few months ago, we joked that both were on crutches, and now you've created amazing things. Never underestimate a great champion! Your incredible work ethic, dedication, and fighting spirit have been a source of inspiration for me and countless others around the world. ”
Djokovic praised Nadal's "amazing achievements" on social media, adding: "You let the impressive fighting spirit prevail again. ”
Four hours before the start of the match, the website of Spain's newspaper El País published an op-ed of Uncle Nadal. Under the title of the article titled "Gladiators full of human brilliance," Uncle Tony describes the core of the article in distilled words, "Roger's tears and Rafa's sympathy in 2009, the Swiss's cheering arms in 2017, and Novak's understanding in 2012 have all moved me to this day." ”
Here are the main contents of this article.
Nadal won the Australian Open for the first time in 2009, and after 13 years, he once again had the opportunity to play in the final of the Australian Open. There is no doubt that of the six Australian Open finals I have experienced, today's one is the one that surprises me the most and the one that I admire the most.
In the last five Australian Open finals, I have had the privilege of spending time with him four times. Like I said, in the first final, he won; in the other four finals, he lost. I have very vivid and special memories of each of his opponents in the final. As I described earlier in Le Nations, both sides in the final wrote about our shared growth trajectories and experiences.
In the 2009 final, it was a particularly difficult day because Nadal had to face extremely poor physical condition. My nephew just survived a tough semi-final with Vodasco. When we started warming up three hours before the final, Nadal's body and brain simply couldn't cope with the next final.
In such a difficult and difficult situation, Nadal stepped onto the pitch of the final. After 4 hours, who was pushed to the limit of physical fitness? Who was defeated? The answer is the Swiss. On that day, Roger Federer couldn't help but shed tears at the awards ceremony, and the photo instantly spread around the world.
The next final was in 2012, when Nadal played Djokovic in a painful match, both on the verge of physical collapse. The final lasted almost 6 hours, which allowed us to witness the superhuman efforts of the two players to win the game.
The defeat was particularly painful for both men, as it was an epic duel and the ultimate test of both's physical strength and will. Of course, the failure left us a little frustrated until we reached Manacor and worked hard for the next challenge.
In the 2014 final against Wawrinka, Nadal's back injury in the first set was like pouring cold water on our hood. Such an important game, such a crucial moment, the frustration of not being able to fight is a very frustrating feeling that you can only overcome and forget about the back injury if you focus on the current game.
In the 2017 Australian Open final, it was me who accompanied Nadal and Federer against Nadal, which reminded me of those painful feelings again. When you lose such an important five-set game, you may feel like you have nothing for a split second. Previously, neither was a favourite in the final, when it was speculated that Murray and Djokovic would reach the final, but that was not the case. The Swiss player has beaten Nadal in all three of his last three finals, the first time he has won a big victory outside wimbledon.
Today's final, I am at home in Spain, but I always have those australian experiences in my mind. Although I didn't accompany Nadal to compete, I felt anxiety and expectation, and I believe that Nadal, who is far away in Australia, will feel the same way.
The last thing I would say is that we have had the privilege of experiencing successful or disappointing sporting moments, which are the most valuable thing we have, the most human part of the gladiators of the 20th and 21st centuries. I was moved by the sympathetic Nadal in 2009 when he faced Roger's tears, the hug Roger gave nadal in 2017, and Djokovic's sympathy for Nadal in 2012.
In today's final, I may see how Nadal ends this cycle of pity, a grand and dramatic battle that may bring us a whole new feeling. (Source: Tennis House Compiler: Cirrus Cloud Shu)