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Rafael Nadal will aim to win a record 21st Grand Slam title when he meets Russian second seed Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final on Sunday.
The Spaniard, 35, is level on 20 major titles with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who both missed the Slam.
US Open champion Medvedev, 25, is bidding to become the first man in the Open era to win his first two majors at successive Grand Slams.
The men’s singles final at Melbourne Park takes place from 08:30 GMT.
Unsure if he’d be able to continue playing at the top level as he struggled with a foot injury last year, sixth seed Nadal has been savouring every moment of his Australian Open run.
Victory on Sunday would deliver his second Australian Open title – and first since 2009. It would also make him only the fourth men’s player in history to win two or more titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
But it is a 21st Grand Slam title overall, to move the 35-year-old ahead of long-time rivals Djokovic and Federer, which holds the most significance.
The fourth-oldest man in the Open era to reach the Australian Open final, Nadal followed up an epic five-set win over Denis Shapovalov with victory in four sets against Italian seventh seed Matteo Berrettini to set up his meeting with Medvedev.
“I went through a lot of challenging moments, a lot of days of hard work without seeing a light there, but still working and still receiving plenty of support from my team and from my family,” said Nadal.
“[There were] a lot of conversations with the team, with the family about what’s going to happen if things continue like this, thinking that maybe it is a chance to say goodbye.
“That was not a lot of months ago. To be able to be where I am today, I don’t know, I really can’t explain in words how important it is for me.”
Regardless of the outcome, Medvedev and Nadal will remain as number two and five in the world respectively.
However, Medvedev can open the door to a shot at top spot, should he follow up an Australian Open victory with the Rotterdam Open title on 13 February before Djokovic is next scheduled to play in Dubai.
Having denied Djokovic a 21st major title at Flushing Meadows in September, Medvedev will look to prevent Nadal making history in the fifth meeting between the pair.
The Russian won their most recent meeting at the ATP Finals in 2020 but trails 3-1 in the head-to-head – suffering defeat in five sets at the 2019 US Open in their only previous Grand Slam encounter.
Medvedev overcame Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets in the semi-finals but had to settle down following a rant at the umpire to close out the match.
“I’m going to play again against one of the greatest. Again I’m going to play someone going for the 21st Slam,” Medvedev said.
“I think it’s a great rivalry between them. I’m happy to have the chance to try to stop one more time somebody from making history.
“It’s not me going for the 21st, not me trying to break these records. I’m going for my second one. I know what’s happening. I know what Rafa is going for, I knew what Novak was going for. I’m just there to try to win the final.”
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60181937
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