"Champions never give up" - Cricket fraternity hails Rafael Nadal's historic Australian Open 2022 final win

Tennis star Rafael Nadal etched his name in the history books by winning his 21st Grand Slam on Sunday, January 30. The 35-year-old defeated Daniil Medvedev 2-6,6-7,6-4,6-4,7-5 in a thrilling five-set encounter in the men's singles final of the Australian Open 2022.

The Spaniard overtook Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to become the first tennis player to win 21 Grand Slam titles.

It is worth mentioning that Medvedev started strongly by winning the first two sets. However, Nadal staged a miraculous turnaround and won his second Australian Open.

Social media was flooded with appreciation posts for Rafael Nadal after his brilliant victory. Several members of the Twitter fraternity also congratulated the player on his famous victory.

Here are some of the reactions from the cricketers.

India's batting legend Sachin Tendulkar:

India U19 head coach VVS Laxman:

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers:

Ex-India opener Virender Sehwag:

Former India keeper-batter Parthiv Patel:

India's senior wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik:

India's cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar:

India's star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin:

"It has been one of the most emotional matches in my tennis career" - Rafael Nadal

Speaking in his on-court interview, Nadal mentioned that it was one of the most emotional matches of his career. He stated that it was an honor to share the court with the talented Daniill Medvedev.

Rafael Nadal said:

"It has been one of the most emotional matches in my tennis career and to share the court with you [Medvedev] was an honor.

"Being honest, one and a half months ago I didn't know if I would be back on the tour playing tennis again and today I am here in front of you with the trophy again. You don't know how much I fought to be here. Thank you so much for the love and support."

He revealed that he had doubts regarding his participation in the event, as he was dealing with a foot injury. Rafael Nadal added that he was overwhelmed with the tremendous support he received from fans during the Australian Open 2022.