Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 5-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a grueling match that took more than five hours to play to win his record-setting 21st major championship. The match ended shortly after 1 a.m. local time.
With the victory, the Spaniard broke a tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most men’s Grand Slam titles. He also became only the fourth man to win all four Grand Slam titles at least twice.
“It has been one of the most emotional nights of my tennis career,” Nadal told reporters after the match. “To share the court with (Medvedev) is an honor.
“Having the huge support that I received during the three weeks is going to stay in my heart for the rest of my life.”
It took Nadal 4 hours, 39 minutes to take the lead for the first time in the match when he broke the second-seeded Medvedev in the fifth game of the final set. He then held serve after saving three break points in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead.
Both players held serve, but Medvedev broke Nadal after trailing 30-15 in the 10th game to tie the final set at 5-5. Nadal answered back by breaking Medvedev in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead and serve for the match.
Congratulations to @RafaelNadal for 21st GS. Amazing achievement. Always impressive fighting spirit that prevailed another time. Enhorabuena 👏🏆👍 @Medwed33 gave it his all out there and played with the passion and determination we have come to expect from him. pic.twitter.com/DsOvK8idNc
Nadal swept Medvedev in the final game, punching the air in triumph and then blowing kisses to the crowd after the 5-hour, 24-minute match.
“I asked him (after the match), are you tired?” Medvedev told reporters afterward.
It was Nadal’s sixth appearance in the Australian Open final and his first victory at the season’s first Grand Slam event since 2009. It was the 29th time Nadal has reached the final of a Grand Slam event, ESPN reported.
The victory snapped a four-match losing streak in Australian Open finals for Nadal. He improved to 4-1 against Medvedev overall and 3-1 in major title matches.
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Rafael Nadal of Spain bites the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup as he celebrates victory in his Men's Singles Final match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during day fourteen of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after winning last nights 2022 Australian Open Men's Singles Final, at Government House on January 31, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major In this handout photo provided by Tennis Australia, Rafael Nadal poses with the Australian Open men's singles final trophy in the locker room following his win at Melbourne Park on January 31, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Fiona Hamilton/Tennis Australia via Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Daniil Medvedev of Russia is presented with the his runner-up trophy by Jim Courier after defeat in his Men’s Singles Final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during Day 14 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates match point in his Men’s Singles Final match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during Day 14 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Daniil Medvedev of Russia plays a backhand in his Men's Singles Final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during Day 14 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates match point in his Men’s Singles Final match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during Day 14 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Rafael Nadal of Spain and Daniil Medvedev of Russia shake hands after their Men's Singles Final match during Day 14 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Daniil Medvedev of Russia reacts in his Men's Singles Final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during Day 14 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal rallies in Australian Open final to win record 21st major Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand during his five set victory in his Men’s Singles Final match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during Day 14 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years Here are some memorable photos of tennis player Rafael Nadal through the years. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2003: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves to against Karol Kucera of Slovakia during the first round of the Tennis Masters at the Monte Carlo Country Club, Monaco, on April 15, 2003. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2004: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a backhand against Roger Federer of Switzerland during the third round of Nasdaq 100 Open on March 28, 2004, in Miami. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2005: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates match-point against Richard Gasquet of France in his semi-final match during the ATP Masters Series at the Monte Carlo Country Club, April 16, 2005, in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2006: Rafael Nadal of Spain holds the trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland during the Men's Singles Final on Day 15 of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 11, 2006, in Paris. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2007: Rafael Nadal of Spain bites the Philippe Chatrier Trophy after winning against Roger Federer of Switzerland in the Men's Singles Final on Day 15 of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 10, 2007, in Paris. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2008: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning the gold medal against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile during the men's singles gold medal tennis match held at the Olympic Green Tennis Center during Day 9 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 17, 2008, in Beijing, China. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2009: Rafael Nadal of Spain holds aloft the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after winning his men's final match against Roger Federer of Switzerland during Day 14 of the 2009 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on February 1, 2009, in Melbourne, Australia. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2010: Rafael Nadal of Spain lifts the Championship trophy after winning the Men's Singles Final match against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic on Day 13 of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 4, 2010, in London. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2011: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia pose for a photo prior to playing against each other during the Men's Final on Day 15 of the 2011 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2011, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2012: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning set point in his men's final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during Day 14 of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 29, 2012, in Melbourne, Australia. (Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2013: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning his quarter-final match against Albert Ramos of Spain during Day 5 of the 2013 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on April 26, 2013, in Barcelona, Spain. Rafael Nadal won 6-3, 6-0. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2014: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates defeating Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during Day 7 of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia tennis 2014 on May 17, 2014, in Rome, Italy. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2015: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates a point in the fourth set against Borna Coric of Croatia during their Men's Singles First Round match on Day One of the 2015 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2015, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2016: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating Andreas Seppi of Italy during his second round Men's Singles match on Day 3 of the 2016 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2016, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2017: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates victory with the trophy following the mens singles final against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland on Day 15 of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on June 11, 2017, in Paris. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2018: Rafael Nadal of Spain holds the Musketeers' Cup as he celebrates victory following the men's singles final against Dominic Thiem of Austria during Day 15 of the 2018 French Open at Roland Garros on June 10, 2018, in Paris. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2019: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates with the championship trophy during the trophy presentation ceremony after winning his Men's Singles final match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Day 14 of the 2019 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2020: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning match point during his Men's Singles fourth-round match against Nick Kyrgios of Australia on Day 8 of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2021: Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with the trophy after his victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in their final match during Day 7 of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2021 at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona on April 25, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Photos: Rafael Nadal through the years 2022: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning his second-round singles match against Yannick Hanfmann of Germany during Day 3 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 19, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
