Australian Open Takeaways: Nadal does impossible, Canadians impress again

Ben Lewis
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      Rafael Nadal becomes the first man to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles with a five-set marathon over Daniil Medvedev, 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 at the Australian Open.

      Two monumental weeks have come and gone from Melbourne. Rafael Nadal did the improbable, no… the impossible, and came back from the brink of defeat to hoist another historic grand slam.

      World No. 1 Ash Barty brought home a title to the country that was 44 years in the making, Nick Kyrgios beamed with energy, and young Canadians again left an impression at a major tournament.

      Here are my six takeaways from the 2022 Australian Open:

      Nadal enthralls and grabs No. 21

      Is he the greatest competitor tennis has ever seen? You might say so. He can also make a strong claim to be the greatest champion of all time.

      35-year-old Rafael Nadal completed one of the most titanic comebacks in tennis history, rallying from two sets to love down to shock world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 and win the 2022 Australian Open.

      It was as historic and as monumental as they come.

      The victory pushes Nadal into first place in the grand slam title count with 21, edging in front of both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

      He also joins Djokovic as just the second man in the Open Era to win all four majors at least twice.

      Nadal missed a set point opportunity to win the second set while serving at 5-3 and then found himself in a seemingly impossible hole down 0-40 on his serve at 2-3 in the third set.

      He wouldn’t flinch.

      Nadal ramped up his aggression, as he began blistering forehands into corners, using drop shots to surprise Medvedev, and powering his backhand wing down the line, turning the momentum of the match on its head.

      After notching the third and fourth sets 6-4, it was the 25-year-old Russian who began to buckle and cave physically.

      In the fifth set, Medvedev fell behind a break but pushed back one final time, rallying from down 5-4, 30-0.

      However, Nadal stole the next game right back and closed it out to love on serve.

      The emotions of a 21st slam were understandably overwhelming for the Spaniard, who missed several months off the tour last season due to a chronic foot injury, and had serious doubts if he could even return to the tour at the beginning of 2022.

      Now, with 21 majors, and the French Open four months away, watch out.

      A Barty Party in Australia

      A superstar of the women’s game put forth her own remarkable run Down Under, and on her home turf.

      It was a remarkable fortnight from world No. 1, Ash Barty, who again exhibited her all-surface dominance in the form of great variation, tactics, and brilliant serve.

      She defeated American Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6 to seize the women’s singles crown, becoming the first Australian woman to win the title since Chris O’Neill’s championship run back in 1978.

      Barty snapped the 44-year drought in immense fashion. She did not drop a set the entire tournament, easily brushing past quality opponents like Camila Giorgi, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys.

      While under duress in the second set of the final against powerful ball striker Danielle Collins, she incredibly rallied from 5-1 down to force a tiebreak.

      The match point was perhaps the most impressive, a devastating forehand passing shot:

      Barty now becomes one of only five active players to have won majors on all three surfaces, joining Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams.

      Pretty illustrious company.

      Canadians continue to make charge on the grand slam stage

      What was once such a rarity is now becoming the norm: Canadian tennis players reaching the second week of majors.

      Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov both arrived in Melbourne bristling with confidence, fresh off an ATP Cup title for Canada just two weeks prior.

      The form certainly carried over.

      The two Canadians advanced to their first-ever quarterfinals in Melbourne, doing so on opposite halves of the draw.

      Shapovalov, after navigating a pair of tough early matches including a five-set win over Korean Kwon Soon-woo, saved his best tennis for a Round of 16 encounter.

      The 22-year-old Richmond Hill, Ont., native confidently throttle world no. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to book a place in the final eight of the major.

      He then pushed Nadal to the brink, rallying from two sets down to force a fifth and decisive one with the eventual champion.

      While errors crept into his game in the fifth set and frustrations mounted with the chair umpire over the pace of play and medical timeouts, there is still lots to love about his prospects, and breathtaking shot-making.

      Meanwhile, fellow countryman Auger-Aliassime was producing a special run of his own.

      He survived an opening-round scare, fighting off Finnish talent Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 3-6, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours, 40 minutes.

      The hard-fought victory seemed to allow him to relax mentally, as he followed with notable wins over talented British veteran Dan Evans, and 2018 Australian Open finalist, Marin Cilic.

      That took him to the quarterfinals, where Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev exchanged body blows in one of the most enticing encounters in the tournament.

      Auger-Aliassime raced out to a 7-6, 6-3 lead, playing near-flawless tennis, and producing utter magic such as this point:

      While Auger-Aliassime had applied the necessary scoreboard pressure, Medvedev managed to come roaring back in the third and fourth sets, even turning aside a match point, before eventually closing out a 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 win.

      Despite a crushing loss, the Canadian was adamant to focus on the positives of his experience.

      Longtime veterans leave a mark in Australia

      Two women’s players made surprise appearances in the quarterfinals of Melbourne, and both have over 15 years of experience competing at the highest level.

      Alize Cornet of France came to the Australian Open set to compete in her 63rd consecutive major.

      Her story is one of remarkable longevity marked by competitive consistency and a strong ground game, traits that have won her six career WTA titles, and pushed her to a career high ranking of #11 back in 2009.

      However, in her 62 previous tries at grand slams, a quarterfinals appearance had always alluded her. Cornet had reached the round of 16 on five separate occasions, only to fall short of the final eight.

      In Melbourne, the dream came true as she defeated two-time slam winner Simona Halep 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to advance, overcoming brutally hot midday conditions as she broke down in tears after winning match point.

      She then brought us one of the most enduring moments of the event, exchanging beautiful words with former player-turned commentator Jelena Dokic, who left the game years ago after enduring mental and physical abuse from her father.

      Not a dry eye in the house after this.

      While Cornet made her mark in her corner of the draw, another Cinderella run emerged from Estonian mainstay, Kaia Kanepi.

      The 36-year-old should consider writing a novel on how to peak at the majors. Kanepi, whose career began back in 2004, used her blistering forehand and power tennis to advance to a seventh career quarterfinal of a slam.

      She opened the tournament with a shock upset of 16th seed Angelique Kerber, and in the round of 16 conquered world no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (10-7).

      Kanepi has made quarterfinals across all four of the slams with two runs at the French Open, two at Wimbledon, and a pair at the U.S. Open.

      She is also one of the most successful Estonian athletes ever, achieving four career titles.

      While Kanepi may not do much damage through the calendar year at her age, she is a dangerous early round threat at any major.

      Novak? No problem

      Novak Djokovic’s eventual deportation by Australia rocked the headlines in the lead up to the first slam event of 2022, as his vaccination status and documents had him turned aside at the border, detained, and then engaged in a week-long legal battle with the government.

      The nine-time Australian Open tennis champion is one of the more polarizing international athletes today, but his tremendous skill and talent are undeniable.

      So, would the 2022 edition of the Australian Open suffer without his presence?

      Fortunately, great tennis saved the day.

      Young phenom Carlos Alcaraz engaged in a five-set marathon thriller with Italian stallion, Matteo Berrettini.

      Star champions like Garbine Muguruza and Annett Kontaveit had their grand slam aspirations thwarted by upset bids from Alize Cornet and Clara Tauson.

      Andy Murray again played a trademark five-set extravaganza, beating Nikoloz Basilashvili in the opening round.

      France’s Gael Monfils turned back the clock for his first quarterfinal run in Melbourne in six years.

      The absence of Djokovic may have been felt by his dedicated and loyal fanbase.

      Tennis fans happily embraced the athletes that were given the green light to compete.

      Kyrgios a slam champ? You read that right

      He’s one of the true enigmas of the tennis circuit.

      Love him or hate him, Nick Kyrgios sparks a conversation in this sport like no other, with his on-court theatrics, trickery, mesmerizing talent, and uncanny tendency to drift in and out of interest at any given time in a tennis match.

      That’s why his commitment and drive in Melbourne this fortnight though was something to behold.

      Kyrgios played a highly competitive and electric second round match with Daniil Medvedev, eventually succumbing to the Russian finalist 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

      Not to worry – he was still in the field in men’s doubles.

      Kyrgios teamed up with fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, and were promptly dubbed ‘The Special Ks’ as they fed off a raucous home crowd to win six matches in an eight-day span and hoist the grand slam doubles trophy.

      How they did it was most astonishing, as the Special Ks were vibing like two best buddies playing backyard tennis on the public courts.

      They slapped butts, chest bumped to the sky high, gave each other bear hugs, and called out to the crowd for more noise (not less) in pivotal moments.

      Whether 26-year-old Nick Kyrgios can suddenly string together consistency through a calendar year remains to be seen.

      His singles ranking has dipped to 120.

      However, for an athlete who has been dogged and critiqued through the bulk of his career for not taking matters seriously, he reminded us these past two weeks, isn’t tennis… all about fun?

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