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Rafael Nadal has had an illustrious career, throughout which he has won each of the four Grand Slams. The Spaniard has a 76-15 record at the Australian Open, winning the tournament twice. The first of these came in 2009 when he beat Roger Federer in a thrilling final.
His second title came last year when he was seeded sixth. Nadal reached the third round with straight-set wins over Marcos Giron and Yannick Hanfmann. He then beat Karen Khachanov in four sets before defeating Adrian Mannarino to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Here, he beat Denis Shapovalov before triumphing over Matteo Berrettini to set up a final clash against Daniil Medvedev. The King of Clay won a thrilling match against the Russian to win his first Australian Open title since 2009.
Over the years, Nadal has had some magnificent victories at the hardcourt Major, so let's take a look at five such wins.
#1. 2009 Australian Open final vs Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played out one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time at the 2009 Australian Open. It was the first clash between the two at a hardcourt Major.
The first set was tightly-contested and Nadal edged out Federer 7-5 to take the lead. The Swiss made the decisive break in the second set to win it 6-3 before his rival won the 78-minute third set 7-6(3).
Both players exchanged breaks in the fourth set but Federer managed to break Nadal again to force the match into a fifth set. The Spaniard dominated the final set and won it 6-2 to win his first Australian Open crown.
Federer broke down in tears during the presentation ceremony and Nadal was quick to console him, a moment that lives on in the memory of ardent tennis fans.
#2. 2022 Australian Open final vs Daniil Medvedev
Rafael Nadal reached his sixth Australian Open final last year, where he was up against Daniil Medvedev. The Russian started the match brilliantly and won the opening set 6-2. Nadal had a few set points in the second set but Medvedev saved them and won it 7-6(5) to take a 2-0 lead in the final.
The Russian had three break points while leading 3-2 in the third set but the Spaniard saved them and won it 6-4. He held his nerve to win the fourth by the same scoreline to force the match into a fifth set.
Nadal made the first break in the final set and was serving for the match at 5-4 before Medvedev broke him back to level the score at 5-5. The Spaniard then won the next two games to win his second Australian Open title and a then-record 21st Grand Slam singles title.
He also became the first player in the Open Era to win the final of the Asia-Pacific Major after losing the first two sets.
#3. 2009 semifinal vs Fernando Verdasco
Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco played out one of the finest Australian Open fixtures when they locked horns in the semifinals of the 2009 tournament. The King of Clay booked his place in the final four with a straight-set win over Gilles Simon, while his compatriot reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal by defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets.
The first set of the match went to a tiebreak and Verdasco won it with a forehand winner. Nadal bounced back in the second set and won it 6-4 to level the match. The third set was tightly-contested and went to a tiebreak, which the King of Clay won 7-2 to take a two-sets-to-one lead in the match.
However, Verdasco refused to throw in the towel and fought back hard in the fourth to win it 7-6(1) and force the match into a decider. Both players were strong on their serve during the final set but Nadal made the decisive break in the final game of the match to reach his maiden Australian Open final.
#4. 2017 semifinal vs Grigor Dimitrov
Rafael Nadal and Grigor Dimitrov played out one of the best matches of 2017 when they faced one another in the semifinals of that year's Australian Open. Both players won their respective quarterfinals in straight sets.
Nadal won the opening set 6-3 before Dimitrov leveled the match by winning the second 7-5. Both players were brilliant in the third set but the Spaniard edged out the Bulgarian in a tiebreak to restore his lead in the match. Another tiebreak would determine the outcome of the fourth set and this time, it was Dimitrov who won it to extend the match into a fifth set.
Both players saved a few break points in the decider before Nadal broke in the ninth game with a powerful backhand winner. The Spaniard then held his nerve to win the match and seal his place in the final.
#5. 2017 third round vs Alexander Zverev
Rafael Nadal faced Alexander Zverev in the third round of the 2017 Australian Open, when the latter was still a young budding talent on the ATP Tour.
Zverev broke the King of Clay in the very first game of the match, which turned out to be decisive, as he won the opening set 6-4. The Spaniard bounced back and won the second set 6-3 before the German restored his lead by winning the third 7-6(5).
Nadal made an early break in the fourth set and won it 6-3 to force the match into a decider. The momentum was with the Spaniard as he won the final set 6-2 to book his place in the fourth round of the tournament.
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