Nadal one step away from record 21st Grand Slam
Spain’s Rafael Nadal continued his stellar performance to reach the final of the Australian Open tennis tournament for the sixth time. Nadal is now just one way away from winning his 21st Grand Slam title. If Nadal wins the final, he will become the first men’s tennis player to win 21 Grand Slam titles. Nadal defeated Italy’s Matteo Barretini in the semi-finals. This is Nadal’s 500th win on the hard court. Also, he has reached the final of any Grand Slam 29 times so far. He will face second seed Daniil Medvedev in the finals.
20-time Grand Slam champion Nadal defeated Matteo Berrettini to reach the final of the Australian Open for the sixth time on Friday. He defeated Italy’s Berrettini in a three-set match in the semi-final match played at the Rod Laver Arena. Nadal won the match 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Nadal, 35, registered the victory in two hours and 55 minutes. The final will be played on Sunday. Nadal, who had won the Australian Open only once, in 2009, dominated the first two sets and swung the Italian opponent around the court. He took a 4–0 lead in the second set and Berretini could only score on his second serve once in 11 attempts.
If Nadal wins the final as well, he will surpass Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Roger Federer of Switzerland to win his 21st Grand Slam title. With this, he will become the second male player to win all four Grand Slams at least twice.
