I would put that down to Nadals experience in 5 set matches and the levels of fitness that he has built up over the years. The younger players like Medvedev haven’t built up that level of fitness for a 5 set match, yes they are super fit but 5 setters are marathons and it takes competing in a few of those to build up that 5 set match fitness that Nadal, Djokovic and to a lesser extent Federer has.
I though the match was over when Nadal won that first set, I thought Medvedev needed to win that to stand any chance of winning but fair play to Medvedev he got better and better and had Nadal beat but Nadal used all his “experience” to break Medvedevs momentum and see out the match. Hopefully it gives the other next gen lads a bit of boost to come back next year and start taking on Nadal and Djokovic. I expect Federer to fall away now especially in 5 setters, the guy is 38 and time is catching up with him fast.
For tennis watchers for whom the winning of a Grand Slam is not enough and who carp about about the quality of opponent met along the way and particularly in the final, that’ll surely rank as a hollow one. 5th Grand Slam won by Nadal in his 30’s in just over two years and in all 5, he didn’t have to face the most successful player of the decade just ended, Djokovic, the player who was dominated Nadal and had his number for nearly a decade now since 2010.
A big 6ft 6 Russian giraffe in the final, who’d only made it to the second round of a Grand Slam on one previous occasion and even that was a last 16 exit in Australia.
Sad to see Boycott being so classless and lacking in grace.
Nadal is the champ, bit of respect to Nadal and Medvedev who has been the form player of the summer hard court season. Everybody has to start from somewhere.
Well done to both players. Sounded like a terrific final. Disappointed now I only got to see the first half of it. Very early start this morning, so packed it in shortly after 11 after watching the first half of it, when it looked a done deal.
I was tempted to pack it in after the second set, it looked like Medvedev had got his tactics for the match all wrong but he turned it around and took the next 2 playing some great tennis. He got a bit ragged in the fifth I thought and Nadal being Nadal saw that set out but for a long part of the match Medvedev had Nadal on the ropes and Nadal was clinging on. Nadal was gasping at the start of the fifth so much that he got a second time violation from the umpire. It was that game were he lost a first serve because of the time violation but still went on to hold that turned the match in his favour.
rafa , he coped well being pegged back to 2-2 and he stayed strong for the 5th