Rafael Nadal has light in his eyes as he closes in on tennis history

Rafa Nadal is the most glamorous figure featuring at the Australian Open.

Thirty-five years old and a little thinner on top than he used to be, he retains an abundance of stardust that others cannot match.

As soon as it was confirmed just before the event that Novak Djokovic would have to leave the country a light went on in Nadal’s eyes.

Now it is the Spaniard pursuing that record-breaking 21st grand-slam title and that is all the more remarkable considering just four months ago Rafa’s recovery from a foot operation was uncertain to the point that he wasn’t sure whether he would ever play tennis again.

His heart beats for victory and not just that, it’s victory in the right way.

Rafa will always reply to any criticism or disrespect and if an opponent has an issue he will respond.

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>Forehand goals ð¯ Rafael Nadal produced his best to outlast Denis Shapovalov in a memorable #AO2022 quarterfinal battle.#bondisands · @BondiSands · #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Zo8e2bO7Bx

After beating Denis Shapovalov the dynamic 22-year-old Canadian backed up what he said on court, namely that Nadal is treated different to others. In fact he said officials are corrupt — he will get fined for that.

Shapovalov is a quick player between points, forever moving and twitching and eager to drive the pace.

Nadal adjusts clothing, hair, headband, water bottles and even sometimes, notably, his underwear.

This is tremendously irritating for players who want to get on with it but frankly this is just handbags at dawn. What’s really irritating for Rafa’s opponents is he finds a way to beat them. After seeing Shapovalov fight back from two sets down many expected the momentum to continue. Shapovalov was flying, Nadal had taken a