A few months ago it seemed like a pipe dream to even compete in the Australian Open, but once again Rafa Nadal has broken down all barriers and this Sunday he will fight in the Melbourne final for his twenty-first Grand Slam and thus set a new milestone in the history of the tennis. The Spaniard got rid of Matteo Berrettini to advance to the final of a tournament whose title has eluded him since 2009. Of the five finals played to date, Nadal has only won one. In two days, the Spaniard hopes to resolve a pending issue in the final of the Australian Grand Slam.
At 35 years old, Rafa Nadal is close to writing a new chapter in the history of world tennis. The Spaniard has advanced to his 29th Grand Slam final, in a match that, if won, will make him the first tennis player to reach 21 top-flight titles. Nadal is in his first opportunity to reach such a number of titles, since this Sunday will be the first Grand Slam final that he has played since he reached the 20 Grands in Paris in 2020.
Nadal has a great success rate in Grand Slam finals. Of the 28 finals played by the man from Manacor to date, they have only lost eight (71.42% efficiency). In fact, to achieve the 20 Grand Slams that shine in his showcases -the same as in that of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic-, the Spaniard has played fewer finals. Both the Swiss and the Serbian have played 31 finals to date and fell in 11 – 64.51% efficiency.
In all kinds of tournaments, this Sunday will be the final number 127 for Rafa Nadal, where he once again demonstrates a great percentage of effectiveness, with 89 wins and only 37 losses. That 70.61% effectiveness places Nadal as the fifth in history in the Open Era as the most effective tennis players to win the title in the decisive match, only surpassed by Sampras, Laver, Borg and Mc Enroe. (The statistic takes into account those tennis players who reached a minimum of 60 finals).
📊 Tennis players with the most effectiveness in finals (Open Era/Men’s Singles):
🇺🇸 Sampras | 72.7% (64-24)
🇦🇺 Washer | 71.9% (69-27)
🇸🇪 Borg | 71.7% (66-26)
🇺🇸 McEnroe | 71% (76-31)
🇺🇸 Nadal | 70.6% (89-37)🇷🇸 Djokovic | 69.7% (85-37)
🇺🇸 Connors | 68.6% (109-50)📝 Minimum: 60 endings
– MisterOnly.Tennis (@OnlyRogerCanFly) January 9, 2022
Unfinished business with Australia
The Australian Open is the Grand Slam that Rafa Nadal most resists, even though he has been able to play five finals to date. Only once did the Spaniard end up lifting the title in that memorable match against Roger Federer in 2009. The last time Carlos Moyá’s pupil reached the final in Melbourne was in 2019, but then Novak Djokovic deprived him of the title.
In fact, of the last ten Grand Slam finals played by Rafa Nadal, he was crowned champion in seven. The three losses occurred precisely on ‘aussie’ soil in 2019, 2017 and 2014, with Djokovic, Federer and Wawrinka as executioners, respectively.
In this Sunday’s final at the Australian Open, Nadal is well awaited by Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas, two players who are at least ten years older and a good number of titles apart. The Russian already has a Grand Slam in his showcases while the Greek has not yet been released. Nadal will try to face the one who goes to the final to win his 21st Grand Slam and also complete the double Grand Slam – two titles in each of the four top category tournaments of the year.
