Tennis players congratulate Rafael Nadal as he wins 21st Grand Slam title at 2022 Australian Open

History was on the line as Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev faced off in the final of the 2022 Australian Open. For the Spaniard, it was an opportunity to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title and complete a double career Grand Slam. For the World No. 2, he had a shot at ascending to the top of the rankings.

After winning the first two sets, it appeared as if Medvedev would cruise to victory, but Nadal staged a spirited comeback to win the title in five sets to create history. It was a rollercoaster match, but the Spaniard once again displayed his trademark grit and determination to come out on top in the end.

Several tennis players, both active and retired, immediately congratulated the Spaniard on his historic win. Legends Rod Laver and Chris Evert were amongst the first to do so.

Nadal's contemporaries, such as Diego Schwartzman, Stan Wawrinka and Benoit Paire, among others, also hailed his landmark victory.

Several WTA players, including Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber and Ons Jabeur, offered their congratulations to the 21-time Grand Slam winner.

Rafael Nadal takes the lead in the Grand Slam race for the first time in his career

Rafael Nadal's win at the 2022 Australian Open gave him his 21st Grand Slam title and ended the three-way tie between Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and himself.

After Federer went past Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles after winning Wimbledon in 2009, he has always led the Grand Slam race. He extended his lead periodically, with the 2018 Australian Open being his 20th Major and final one so far.

Nadal and Djokovic eventually caught up to him, with the former doing so by winning the 2020 French Open and the latter by winning Wimbledon last year. The Serb had an opportunity to win his 21st Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open, but lost to Medvedev.

Now, for the first time in his career, Nadal is the frontrunner in the Grand Slam race. He'll be the favorite to extend his lead at Roland Garros later this year.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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