Rafael Nadal got to 21 first, breaking the men’s record for most Grand Slam singles titles and doing it the hard way by coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in an almost 5 1/2-hour Australian Open final.
Nadal was broken when serving for the championship for the first time at 5-4 in the fifth set but made no mistake two games later.
The 35-year-old Spaniard now has one more major title than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, his long-time rivals in the so-called Big Three.
With the 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win that started Sunday night and then finished early Monday morning, Nadal also became just the fourth man in history to win all four of the sport’s major titles at least twice.
One of the most emotional ones in my tennis career' said Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal after winning men's record 21st Grand Slam singles title with Australian Open comeback victory over Daniil Medvedev.
You're an amazing champion' said Daniil Medvedev to Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard got to 21 first, breaking the men’s record for most Grand Slam singles titles and doing it the hard way by coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in an almost 5 1/2-hour Australian Open final.