Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open win was portrait of a true artist at work

I’ll give you a blizzard of numbers and statistics later but Rafa Nadal coming back from two sets down to win the Australian Open final was not a tennis match that you can reduce quite so easily. This was a performance on stage, a piece of astonishing theatre and something that touched those of us watching in a way that was far deeper and more profound than simply a reaction to a sporting contest.

When Reginald Mitchell designed the Spitfire he used engineering and measurements, and the result was a work of art with soul.

Michelangelo’s David demonstrates extraordinary talent and technique, but it is not something you can copy. It is an original and unique.

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>It’s a sixth #AusOpen final for @RafaelNadal ð He outlasts Matteo Berrettini in a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 thriller ð #AusOpen · #AO2022 ð¥: @wwos · @espn · @eurosport · @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/UIbtfGbKvq

And Vladimir Horowitz would play the same notes on the same keys in the same order and with the same weight as someone else, but it just didn’t sound the same.

For Nadal, this final was the culmination of a lifetime’s dedication and technical skills honed through blood, sweat and tears. But it was also so much more than that.

His victory was career defining and achieved utterly against the odds. Very few people picked anyone other than Daniil Medvedev to win, with the Russian’s victory at the US Open over Novak Djokovic elevating him and surely making him heir apparent to the great triumvirate of Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Having saved match point in his quarter-final with Felix Auger-Aliassime he had an aura of invincibility and confidence ahead of the final. The only thing missing was the crown upon Medvedev’s head.

After