Rafael Nadal is alone on the mountaintop.
Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev in five sets to win the Australian Open Sunday and pick up his 21st major tennis title. Nadal won the match 2-6, 6-7 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
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It's Nadal’s second Australian Open title and his first since 2009.
The match between the two was a marathon. The 35-year-old Nadal, who had been battling foot issues in 2021, needed 5 hours and 24 minutes to win the match. He was broken at 5-4 in the fifth set but didn’t make any mistakes after that. The match was also delayed in the second set when a protester invaded the court.
Adding to his history-making win, Nadal became the fourth man in tennis history to win all four of the sport’s major titles at least twice. It was his first major title win since 2020, when he won the French Open. He has 90 career titles to his name.
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Nadal entered the tournament tied at the top with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for most men’s major titles. Djokovic was the favorite entering the tournament, but his saga dealing with Australian officials and the country’s rules against unvaccinated travelers overshadowed the start of the tournament.
Djokovic was eventually removed from the country after a second hearing over his medical exemption from getting the coronavirus vaccine. He was deported and will unlikely be able to compete in Australia for quite some time.
Federer has been injured over the last year. He didn’t compete in the Australian Open.
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Next up is the French Open, which is scheduled to start May 22. Djokovic may be able to play in that tournament, but Nadal has dominated on clay throughout his career.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.