By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters] -Rafa NADAL defeated Daniil Mevedev in a traditional Australian Open final. The victory came just two months after Nadal had feared his career was over because of injury.

With Novak Djokovic forced out by deportation and Roger Federer recovering from knee surgery, the Spanish great is now one major title clear of his ‘Big Three’ rivals after surviving the 2-6 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 7-5 thriller at Rod Laver Arena.

A vintage Nadal, riding a wave of cheering support from the crowd pulled off one his best performances to deny Medvedev once again. This was less than three years since he left Medvedev heartbroken after five sets in the U.S. Open final.

Nadal finished the match with two points to spare, but was unable to retain the title. He served at 5-4.

As a coup de grace, he refused to break Medvedev once more and instead served the match to his love.

Nadal dropped the tennis racket.

This was an incredible victory that defied logic and time. The 35-year-old won five of his 15 sets from a 2-set deficit. It marked the end of Mikhail Youzhny’s fourth round win at Wimbledon 2007.

After suffering four defeats in finals in 2012 and 2014, 2017, 2017 and 2018, Nadal is now eligible to enjoy a second Melbourne Park crown 13 years after beating Federer at the 2009 decider.

The long hairstyles and shorts worn by pirates in that decade are gone, but class and fighting spirit have not been lost.

Nadal had already missed Wimbledon because of fatigue and the U.S. Open with a chronic foot condition. He felt lucky to have been able to attend Melbourne Park this year.

For the Spaniard, his ability to play seven matches feels miraculous. This makes him the fourth man to have twice won the Grand Slam.

Djokovic, the world number one in tennis may regret his failure to defend his title at Melbourne without COVID-19 vaccine. 

Nadal was deported, which opened up the tournament and left a gap for him to step in.

(Additional Reporting: Sudipto Ganduly; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)