The Australian Open is preparing for its last day of competition with a final, unbeatable, between the top seed in the draw, Daniil Medvedev , and the only one of the three greats in history present at the tournament, a Rafael Nadal who wants ascend to heaven with a title that would give him the catalog of the best tennis player of all time. Two opposing styles on the Rod Laver Arena , but also in his attitude beyond tennis, have made Nadal the new idol of Australia, where Medvedev stands out as a villain.
In a tournament in which Novak Djokovic is the clear dominator of recent history with nine champion wounds, Nadal is a tennis player much loved by the stands due to his charisma, his values and, why not say it, the empathy caused by the bad luck he has had in his previous eliminations. From the first day, Nadal has been, beyond the local tennis players and perhaps Tsitsipas , due to the important Greek colony in Australia, in the hearts of the Aussie public.
Nadal ‘s points are celebrated double, his applause when appearing on court after victories have become a habit these days in Melbourne and the banners in favor of Rafa are also a classic on the Rod Laver Arena, the main court in the that the Spaniard has played all his matches in the tournament, something that explains his career and the achievement of twenty Grand Slams in his career and not his ranking, which leaves him as the sixth favorite in the draw.
” Come on, Rafael! », could be read on a banner next to a Spanish flag, in the semifinal match that measured Nadal with Matteo Berrettini. The Spanish is the anthem that the Australians want to see playing after the final and they do not hide it, even more so after learning that Rafael’s rival will be a Daniil Medvedev with whom they have a love-hate relationship that goes more towards the latter due to the latest events.
Medvedev, the favorite villain
With an extreme personality, Medvedev , who had had problems with the respectable in previous days, even mentioning a Novak Djokovic who is declared non-grata for his anti-vaccine policy, starred in an unfortunate episode in the semifinals that has caused him an exemplary fine but also could have caused his disqualification. Daniil, not happy with a supposed coaching of Tsitsipas with his father and coach, Apostolos, insulted and shouted at the chair umpire, the Spanish Jaume Campistol , in an aggressive and cocky attitude that we have not even come close to seeing in Nadal in almost twenty years of sports race.
The difference between the two will be seen, from the beginning, in the final of the Australian Open, where beyond tennis, where Medvedev if he reaches his ceiling seems almost unbeatable, the mental battle will be spiced by the presence of the public on Nadal’s side , something that Daniil will have to face to prevent Rafa from becoming the best tennis player in history in his ‘new’ house.
