'Greatest of all time' - Cricketers pour wishes as Rafael Nadal clinches record 21st Grand Slam title

Moments ago Rafael Nadal created history by becoming the first man to win 21 Grand Slams in the history of Tennis. The 35-year old won the Australian Open for the second time by beating Daniil Medvedev in the final. In an exciting turn of events, Nadal beat Medvedev after being down by two sets. Cricketers took it to Twitter to congratulate him on his brilliant sporting display.

From Virender Sehwag to Punam Raut, all were amazed to see him make the great comeback that he did. Some called him ‘Fire’, while others said the comeback was a miracle.

Here is how cricketers congratulated Rafael Nadal for a historic feat

Rafael – Fire 🔥hai Fire .
What an incredible comeback, what a champion #RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/5aNFTRP1wc

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 30, 2022

Rafa always shows us what Sport is all about. Respect for his opponent and the game, incredible fight till the end, and humility irrespective of his achievements. Legend

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 30, 2022

It isn't over until it's over.
From 2 sets down, to comeback and win in Grand style is a monumental effort. Congratulations #RafaelNadal on a record 21st Grand Slam and for winning the #AustralianOpen in great fashion. pic.twitter.com/vz7yuV70Hl

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 30, 2022

What a match and what a man 👏

It looked like a straight set blowout the way Medvedev was playing.

But champions never give up ‼️

One of his best comebacks ever

Congrats @RafaelNadal 🏆#AO2022 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/LVIJvsUsLF

— DK (@DineshKarthik) January 30, 2022

That is absolutely magnificent. Stunning to say the least.

From 2 sets down to come back and win your 21st Grand Slam is incredible.

Congratulations @RafaelNadal!#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/VHjjlb4GFN

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 30, 2022

More than the feat of 21st Grand slam which is the most by anyone in men’s history , this is truly a stunning comeback by #Nadal in this match who is a superman!#AustralianOpen2022 #AustralianOpen #NadalvsMedvedev #NadalMedvedev pic.twitter.com/5DbQF1CnRj

— parthiv patel (@parthiv9) January 30, 2022

Such Tenacity as usual from the great man Rafa!👏👏 #AO2022

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 30, 2022

I tell you that lefthanders ki baat hi kuch aur hai😉 #Nadal you are GOAT. #AustralianOpen #AusOpen #NadalvsMedvedev pic.twitter.com/ARaPQOyrZX

— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) January 30, 2022

Absolute king 👑 #Nadal https://t.co/YAtzG5oJPH

— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) January 30, 2022

Greatest player of all time #Nadal #NadalvsMedvedev #AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/vs3JKiaiol

— Rashid Latif 🇵🇰 (@iRashidLatif68) January 30, 2022

One hell of an #AusOpen final. Both players were outstanding and it was a show of physical and mental resilience. Nadal was just too good in the end. #Number21

— Abhinav mukund (@mukundabhinav) January 30, 2022

A round of applause To Rafael Nadal on beating Daniil Medvedev in 5-set thriller to lift Australian Open 2022; wins a record 21st Grand Slam title @RafaelNadal congratulations ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Zd9dFsv40U

— Punam Raut (@raut_punam) January 30, 2022

Miraculous! Rafa 💯 https://t.co/1aJXhOkFC5

— Washington Sundar (@Sundarwashi5) January 30, 2022

RAFAEL NADAL!

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) January 30, 2022

Vamossssss Rafa!!! 🔥🔥🔥 @RafaelNadal #AustralianOpen2022

— Jaydev Unadkat (@JUnadkat) January 30, 2022

Vamos rafa!!!! @RafaelNadal 🇪🇸

— Farhaan Behardien (@fudgie11) January 30, 2022

How the match turned out

Rafa lost the first set 2 against 6 but looked a lot better in the second set, which went into a tie-breaker. Unfortunately, he lost that set too. He did not seem to be at his best, and it looked like Medvedev would take the win. Medvedev was only a set away from claiming the crown, but Nadal had other plans. He looked more energized in the game from the third set. He had to win every single set to take home the win.

In the third set, he was at the top of his game and gave every point all his energy. He won the set six against four. At this point, Medvedev looked a bit tired, but Rafa was still hopping around to keep the adrenaline going. The fourth set was again won by him 6-4.

With two sets each, the final set would decide the winner. This set was a lot more competitive than the previous two, with both giving their 100 percent. The game went on to 5-5 each before Nadal scored the two winning games. In the end, the scoreline for the final set was 7-5 in Rafa’s favor. Rafa became the first man to win 21 Grand Slams, and only the 5th player to win all of them twice.