After the triumph: What happens next for “King” Nadal?

Rafael Nadal initially didn't want to know anything about new challenges. The Spaniard remained tired and somehow insecure after “one of the greatest heroic deeds in the history of sport,” according to the Spanish newspaper As described his Australian Open triumph vaguely. “I don’t know what can happen in the future,” Nadal admitted on Monday: “I would love to try to play a little more this year.”

He showed what's inside his battered body, even at 35 years old. And that he still hasn't had enough. What remains unclear, however, is how often the Spaniard will be seen on the tennis stage in the coming months and what he will be able to achieve in the future. In the competition between the “Big Three”, the new record Grand Slam winner now has the best cards (for now) given Novak Djokovic’s vaccination question and Roger Federer’s ailing body. He could even be the only one of the trio to play the French Open. And yes, his historic success has given him fresh energy and confidence. Will he compete again in Melbourne in 2023? No, he can't say that, says Nadal. A tired Nadal poses with the trophy He has not yet decided on his tournament planning for the coming weeks. “A little more” leaves a lot open. Ultimately, the Mallorcan only played two matches in the second half of 2021. His foot injury threatened his dazzling career, but he was now able to withstand the stress. This is also why Nadal particularly values his second title Down Under and first since 2009. “He doesn’t feel good.” Rafael Nadal about his body On Monday, after a short night with little sleep, Nadal completed the last official appointments in Melbourne before spending a few days enjoying his 21st Grand Slam title at home. His body felt “not good,” Nadal admitted as he posed with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup in the afternoon. He gratefully accepted an umbrella for shade and sat down heavily on the lawn at the official residence of the Governor of Victoria.

At the winner's ceremony after the thrilling 2:6, 6:7 (5:7), 6:4, 6:4, 7:5 against Russian Daniil Medvedev, who is ten years younger than him Nadal needed a chair. For the first time since Wimbledon 2007 he managed to turn around a 0-2 set deficit. Medvedev was then impressed: “It was unreal.” The 25-year-old missed the chance of his second Grand Slam title and the prospect of being able to replace Djokovic as number one in the course of February. But he proved that he is the leader of the emerging generation that increasingly wants to bring the phalanx of the big three to crumble. Medvedev will also try to prevent Nadal (21), Djokovic (20) and Federer (20) from expanding their title collection in Paris, Wimbledon and London. If the old stars even compete.

There had been intense talk about the hunt for title 21 since Djokovic's Wimbledon victory. The focus was on the Serb – and not Nadal. After all, neither Nadal nor Federer were on the tour. In Melbourne, the lost Corona court battle over his visa took Djokovic out of the game.

He wants to return to the ATP tour in Dubai at the end of February. But if the 34-year-old remains unvaccinated, he will also face exclusion from the French Open and Wimbledon. While the 40-year-old Swiss Federer is wondering when and if he will come back and participation in Wimbledon is far from certain, Nadal can attack title 22 at the French Open in May. “I stay more in the moment without thinking too far ahead,” said the red ash specialist. He is calm about the competition for the Grand Slam collection. “In the end, it doesn’t matter so much whether one has 21 and the others have 20. Whether one stops at 23 and the others at 21.”

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After the triumph: What happens next for “King” Nadal?

You can't write off Rafael Nadal, as the Spanish tennis star proved with his almost impossible comeback in the final of the Australian Open. But what happens next for him and his foot? Who will win the next Grand Slam titles?

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