Spaniard says he, along with Federer and Djokovic, \u2018achieved more than what we ever dreamed of\u2019
\n MELBOURNE
\nRafa Nadal said he was lucky to be part of an era of tennis that included Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic after the Spaniard won a men\u2019s record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open to move one ahead of his two great rivals.
\nNadal roared back from two sets down to edge Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 7-5 in a classic final on Sunday, only months after fearing his glorious career might be over because of a niggling left foot injury.
\nHe then paid tribute to Federer, who missed the year\u2019s first Grand Slam to continue his rehabilitation from knee surgery, and Djokovic, who was deported following a dispute over Australia\u2019s Covid-19 entry requirements and his unvaccinated status.
\n\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s just a game and in some way, we achieved more than what we ever dreamed of when we were kids,\u201d Nadal told reporters. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter that much if one is 21, one is 20, or the other finished 23 and the other with 21.
\n\u201cI think we did very important things for our sport and we achieved our dreams and we enjoy it. I feel lucky to be part of this era that has been very special for our sport.\u201d
\nThe 35-year-old, who pulled out of Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open in 2021 and returned to competitive action last month, said the satisfaction of winning his second Australian Open crown was impossible to describe.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to have this trophy with me,\u201d Nadal said. \u201cI tried hard during my career here in Australia, finally, it was probably the most unexpected year for me to achieve, one more time this beautiful trophy so I\u2019m super happy.\u201d
\nNadal said he was not thinking about his next tournament. \u201cI have my schedule planned, but I\u2019m enjoying the moment… I need to see how my body recovers from an amazing month and I\u2019m going to make my decision,\u201d Nadal said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spaniard says he, along with Federer and Djokovic, \u2018achieved more than what we ever dreamed of\u2019 MELBOURNE Rafa Nadal said he was lucky to be part of an era of tennis that included Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic after the Spaniard won a men\u2019s record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open to move […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-242137","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n