The Mallorcan overturned a two-set deficit against Daniil Medvedev in the final in Melbourne to win 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 after five hours and 24 minutes. With the win, the Spaniard became the first male player to lift 21 Grand Slam titles.

What made Nadal’s run at Melbourne Park all the more inspiring was the fact that he had only just made his comeback after spending five months on the sidelines because of a foot injury.

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In a discussion with Gill Gross on his YouTube channel, Steve Flink weighed in on the circumstances surrounding Nadal’s victory at Melbourne Park on Sunday. Factoring in the nature of his opponent, the American said there was no reason why the 35-year-old’s win should not be spoken of in the same breath as some of his previous achievements.

Flink further explained why the Mallorcan’s victory over the World No. 2 was so noteworthy. The 69-year-old pointed out that Medvedev was the favorite coming into the match by virtue of his win over Nadal in their last meeting at the 2020 ATP Finals.

Furthermore, the Russian’s commanding victory against World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals meant the odds were stacked against Nadal from the get-go.

Steve Flink went on to compare Rafael Nadal’s victory this year to Roger Federer’s triumph at the Australian Open five years ago. Like the Spaniard, Federer fought his way back from injury and defeated a number of top players, including Nadal, en route to the title.

Taking Nadal’s prowess on hardcourts into consideration, Flink said the Spaniard deserved to have more than one Australian Open title to his name. The American deemed the 35-year-old’s win on Sunday as karmic compensation for his earlier “misfortunes at the tournament”.

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