To say that Rafael Nadal has one of the best work ethics and dedication in tennis would be a massive understatement. He is one of the greatest ambassadors of tennis, and always the epitome of nice and courteous. But even the 21-time Grand Slam champion let loose in his press conference after the Australian Open win.

Rafael Nadal had not-so-pleasant flashbacks

In an interview with Eurosport, he was asked what he was feeling in the final set, after Medvedev had broken back to nullify Nadal’s advantage. To that, he replied that he was familiar with a situation like this, especially at the Australian Open. “After that, I said, ‘F**k, one more time a break up in the fifth & I’m going to lose again, like in 2012, like in 2017,'” he said.

Nadal has been known to be a great fighter on court, not letting even a single point slip, irrespective of his opponent or the importance of the match. With two sets in the Russian’s favour, with three breakpoints as well, fans wondered if it was over for Nadal and if this would be Daniil Medvedev’s second Grand Slam victory. But Nadal stepped his game up, put on his never-say-never attitude and the rest is already history.

Nadal hails 21st Grand Slam victory as the ‘greatest comeback’

Nadal had been out of the circuit after his 2021 French Open loss, owing to a left foot injury (only making a few sporadic appearances in USA). He downplayed his chances of achieving anything great at the Australian Open 2022, from the start of the season. But after the gruelling five-setter on Sunday, he proved to the world why Rafael Nadal, even if not at his physical best, is a force to be feared.

“If we put everything together, the scenario, the momentum, what it means. Yeah, without a doubt probably have been the biggest comeback of my tennis career,” he said in his post-match conference. Congratulations Rafa!

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