Rafael Nadal was in big trouble when he lost the first two sets of the Australian Open final to Daniil Medvedev. But Nadal dug deep, coming back to win the next three sets to secure a record 21st Grand Slam title. Nadal entered the tournament tied with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with 20 Grand Slam wins.

The 35-year-old Nadal beat Medvedev 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. The match took 5 hours, 24 minutes:

Live and breathe sports?

šŸšØ Get viral graphics, memes, rumors and trending sports news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter.

Nadal came into the Australian Open as the No. 6 seed, with Medvedev holding the No. 2 slot. There was plenty of drama leading up to the tournament thanks to Djokovicā€™s COVID-19 vaccine scandal, and the worldā€™s top-ranked player ultimately was deported and couldnā€™t participate. Federer also didnā€™t compete in the event because of a knee injury.

This opened the door for Nadal, who had some health issues himself (foot injury and COVID-19) ahead of this event, and he took full advantage. Nadal hadnā€™t won the Australian Open since 2009, with Djokovic typically dominating the tournament. Djokovic beat Medvedev in the final last year.

Nadal now becomes the fourth man in history to win all four Grand Slams at least twice. Heā€™s known for his dominance at the French Open, which he has won a ridiculous 13 times. He has also won the US Open four times and now has two wins apiece in the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

While Nadal celebrates this achievement, this is certainly a disappointing outcome for Medvedev, who became the favorite to win this tournament once Djokovic was out. The 25-year-old had Nadal on the ropes and was poised toĀ become the first man in the Open era to win his second Grand Slam title at his next major tournament after winning the US Open, only to fold and succumb to the Spaniard in five sets.