A Historic and Inspirational Year at The Australian Open

The Australian Open is one of the highlights in the tennis calendar, watched by so many around the world. It’s the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, where many of the top seeds strive to claim their first Grand Slam title - whether that’s in their career or to kickstart their hopes of achieving the calendar Grand Slam. The tournament was first held in 1905 and is nicknamed ‘the happy slam’ as it brings both sunshine and world-class action. We’re sure that those in the UK agree, where it’s nothing but doom and gloom for the month of January!

Without doubt, the 2022 Australian Open brought copious amounts of drama, rivalry and intensity. In sunny Melbourne, the Grand Slam season kicked off with some of the biggest names in tennis taking to the court, including Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty, Daniil Medvedev and Matteo Berrettini, all hoping to make it through the first few rounds.

After both some disappointments and fine performances in the first few rounds, the quarterfinal stages arrived…and with greater intensity came greater battles! Rafael Nadal’s match against Denis Shapovalov lasted over four hours, leaving the world No.5 exhausted yet relieved to have inched through to the semi-finals.

The surviving four in the men’s singles were Rafael Nadal, 2021 cinch champion Matteo Berrettini, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The women’s semi-finalists were Australian Ashleigh Barty, Madison Keys, Danielle Collins and Iga Światek, all competing for victory.

World No.1 and 2021 Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion, Ashleigh Barty, stormed her way into the final after beating her US opponent in just 62 minutes, making her the first Australian woman to reach the Australian Open final since Wendy Turnbull in 1980. The crowd were roaring for a victory for the Aussie on her home turf to make it one step further to the title. And that they succeeded. Barty claimed the first set after just 32 minutes of play against Danielle Collins however she managed to ferociously fight her way back from a 1-5 second set deficit to win the tiebreak decider. A total of 10 aces were served by the Aussie and she won 82 percent of her first serve points, compared to her opponent’s 63 percent.

The forehand passing shot was the winner for Barty, and her dreams became reality winning the championship point. Barty said in her post-match interview: “This is just a dream come true for me and I’m so proud to be an Aussie”, thanking the crowd for being “exceptional” and bringing so much joy to the court. This win will forever go down in history, as Barty subsequently became the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open in 42 years.

In the men’s singles, it was one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Rafael Nadal, who beat seventh seed Matteo Berrettini in just one hour in the semi-finals to reach his 29^th Grand Slam final. A recent foot injury just a few months ago put his career in uncertainty, and there was doubt as to how far he would go in this year’s tournament. However, he fought back in true Nadal style, proving that all you need is resilience, determination and perseverance to bounce back, showing his true killer instinct.

After beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals, world No.2 Daniil Medvedev was aiming for his second successive Grand Slam title after winning the US Open in September 2021 and wanting to claim the Australian Open title after coming runner up in 2021 to Novak Djokovic.

Medvedev’s mighty opponent was also hoping to achieve a big win going into the final. The 35-year-old Spaniard was equal with long-term rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (collectively known as The Big Three) on achieving 20 Grand Slam singles titles, something that was going to be an incredible achievement if he could fight until the very end.

Walking onto the court in the Rod Laver Arena, both players looked calm and composed.

The Russian was off to a flying start, playing fantastic shots that Nadal just couldn’t get behind. After claiming the first two sets, with the second set lasting eighty-four minutes and eventually coming down to a close tiebreak that was filled with great suspense, Medvedev was going into the third hoping to draw the match to a close. Rafa on the other hand had other ideas.

While Nadal was playing an immense battle in the first few sets, it wasn’t until the hopes of claiming a 21^st Grand Slam title had doubt cast over it being two sets down that a whole different side to the player came out. He began to fight back, using his sheer power and precision on the court to tear Medvedev down slowly, forcing him to make errors when Nadal’s beautiful shots were no obstacle for the Russian. The crowd were noticeably on the Spaniard’s side as he fought back, giving him the motivation and encouragement to enable him to find that inner strength.

In what can only be described as a stunning and courageous comeback, Nadal came from two sets down to claim the third set 6-4, giving Medvedev something to start worrying about and the crowd even more of a reason to roar.

After claiming the fourth set, the match was even and was riding on the final set. An excruciatingly close final few games brought fear and an extra helping of nerves to everyone watching. Nadal was two points away from victory as he served at 5-4, but to add to the drama, Medvedev clawed back to claim the break. It was impossible to call who was going to come out on top as the final stages of this match were so close. For many, it was painful to watch as the ball crashed into the net or passed the lines on the court, deeming it out, particularly if you had a favourite to win.

It was Nadal who struck back with a second break, just before serving for the most remarkable and historic achievement in tennis and in his career. Medvedev failed to return a shot, bringing a beaming smile filled with relief and amazement to Nadal’s face as he realised what he had just achieved. His tennis racket dropped to the ground – victory was his!

Just months after recovering from a foot injury and almost retiring, his performance in the final was nothing short of jaw-dropping. It was one of the most inspirational matches we’ve seen in a while, achieving such an impressive comeback from being two sets down just showing that determination can carry you through any situation. At no point during the match was he prepared to give this one up; Nadal was ready to give anything and everything to make him one of the greatest players of all time. He did just that, writing a new and extraordinary chapter in the history books, in achieving a record of 21 Grand Slam titles and earning his spot as ‘The Big Three’s’ new leader.

All rise for the champions, history makers and legends - Ashleigh Barty and Rafael Nadal.

Whilst we eagerly wait for player announcements, we’re hoping to see some of these big names grace the courts at The Championships, Wimbledon and 2022’s cinch Championships – will we see more from the big three at SW19? Will Berrettini grace The Queen’s Club courts in hope of claiming the title a second year in a row?

Both tournaments are set to host some of tennis’ most incredible talent – watch the legends take to the courts and book your place at The Championships, Wimbledon and cinch Championships to enjoy a full day of hospitality with our official experiences.