Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal is the man of the moment right now. He was absolutely exceptional during the Australian Open 2022 final against Daniil Medvedev and became the first man in history to win 21 Grand Slam titles. 

Recently, former World No.1 and tennis great Ilie Nastase couldn’t resist praising Rafael Nadal. The way the clay-court expert displayed his heroics in Melbourne on Sunday will be fresh in the minds of people forever. 

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Rafael Nadal is just as intense as 8-time major winner Jimmy Connors

Interestingly, the Romanian legend likened Rafa to former American tennis star Jimmy Connors. He felt that just like Connors, even Nadal is always focused and never lets his concentration get disrupted. 

The 75-year-old spoke on this subject and stated, “I really liked that about him. He does the same in training, he’s just like Jimmy Connors, my former training partner. And there he wants to win every point! The man can’t joke, he’s serious from the first to the last point.” 

(Quotes translated using Google translate)

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Reflecting on the Australian Open 2022 final, it was one of the most memorable matches played in recent times. The sheer desire and determination in Rafa are an example for young stars to learn how not to give up easily. 

As the match began, Daniil raced to a two-set lead in no time. There came a point when the Spaniard was nearly about to get broken in the third set, but somehow found a way and turned the outcome of the set in his favor, winning it in style. 

Soon after, he felt more at ease and managed to seal the fourth set and send the match into the fifth and final set. Eventually, it was his experience that helped Rafa become the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles. We wish him all the best for the remainder of the season. 

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