South Africa's hopes at the Australian Open dashed, Lloyd Harris and Kevin Anderson eliminated in first round
Tennis
Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal was the toast of the world in defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final of the 2022 Australian Open.
Nadal won the five hour epic in Melbourne on Sunday 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5, having come back from two sets down at one point. In the process, he became the first male tennis player to win 21 grand slam titles, moving ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who are tied on 20 titles each.
His victory was the number one trending story on Twitter worldwide as the match gripped viewers from beginning to end, with Mzansi having its say, too.
South Africa's hopes at the Australian Open dashed, Lloyd Harris and Kevin Anderson eliminated in first round
Tennis@atiku, Atiku Abubakar, former vice president of Nigeria said:
Congratulations to Rafael Nadal on the historic achievement of 21 Grand Slams. His extraordinary comeback is a lesson in never giving up even against all odds. #AO2022
@boblarney said:
"I think its safe to say... #RafaelNadal is the greatest. The greatest fighter in all of sport. Never give up mentality, tenacity & pitbull like nature is admirable to say the least! #AusOpen #AO2022 #sstennis"
@Maaanuu26:
"Nadal is 35 years old, constantly dealing with injuries during his career, and just came back from 2 sets down against the tournament favourite and won his 21st GrandSlam! You won’t EVER hear of this again! Rafael Nadal, you are SPECIAL! #AusOpen #sstennis"
@Bimboh5
"It is the Miracle in Melbourne! Rafa Nadal from 0-2 down, wins #AustralianOpen 3-2 setting a record of 21 grand slam. The Matador has done it! A great night for Spanish. #SSTennis #AusOpen"
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Football@madamemerola said:
"Congratulations to @RafaelNadal on an unbelievable and unforgettable match to win his 21 Trophy Grand Slam and 2nd @AustralianOpen. Never give up on yourself no matter what. #SSTennis #RafaelNadal. So happy and inspired right now."