Last month, Rafael Nadal stunned the world when the 35-year-old Spaniard pulled back from two sets against Daniil Medvedev to seal a stunning five-set victory at the 2022 Australian Open to claim his 21st - and biggest - major championship. Nadal has now capped that famous victory with a straight-sets 6-3, 6-3 win in the rematch, crushing his Russian rival - who is about to become ATP World No. 1 - ahead of the Mexico Open final. In his 14 matches this year to grow and remain undefeated.
Medvedev learned on Friday that he has broken "The Big Three"'s five-year hold on men's tennis' No. 1 ranking after Novak Djokovic lost in Dubai. Roger Federer, one of Nadal and Djokovic have held the top spot since it was handed over by Briton Andy Murray on 20 August 2017. No one other than that quartet has been No 1 since Federer displaced Andy Roddick in February 2004. Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, will climb to the top of the pile when the next batch of rankings are released on Monday.
This feat will now become a bit hollow after Nadal has been toppled and overtaken again in Acapulco. Unlike Melbourne, where the 26-year-old Russian took a two-set lead, it was the Spaniard who got off to a quick start. Medvedev was forced to defend some break points in his first service game, before Nadal broke minutes later to take a 3–1 lead, which he won 6–3 in the first set.
Nadal, sitting out of 2021 with a leg injury requiring surgery in September, is undefeated in 2022 and has a 13-0 record in this semi-final. The depth of his recovery was visible in the second set, with Medvedev breaking serve early and leading 1-0. But as the set progressed, Medvedev advanced into the competition and caused all sorts of problems for the Spaniard with his backhand drop shot.
Medvedev earned 11 break points in only two of Nadal's serve games in the second set. The game of six-deuce was followed by a game of nine-deuce at 3-2 as seven break points came and dug deep for Russian and Nadal, saving with equal parts aggression and grit, netting after penalty. But again and again the closing points. Forehands to thwart any return attempt.
Nadal's grip under pressure eventually took the wind out of Medvedev's sails and the Russian broke once again as an unexpected backhand error gave Nadal the win and clash against British No. 1 Cameron Norie in the final on Sunday.
“I played some amazing points at break point,” said Nadal, who said the heat and high bounce on the stadium court helped his game. “The second set was very emotional. Daniel was playing very aggressively – drop shot, Winner. It was a very tough set. I consider myself lucky to have won that set because he had a lot of chances.
Nadal's dreams of regaining the No. 1 ranking he lost to Novak Djokovic in 2020 are firmly on the back burner. "Unfortunately, I don't see myself chasing the No. 1 position again," he told reporters this week. "My physical issues kept me from finishing the season on top a few more times, and I have different goals today. It would be a mistake to chase the ATP throne at this point in my career.
"I'd be thrilled to be the world No. 1 contender with my light schedule, but I'm not going to change my calendar just to get more points. There are many young players ready to compete throughout the season, and I need to be on my feet." Tournaments have to be chosen more carefully."
Not so is Medvedev, who was unnerved about his dream of claiming the top ranking. "When you're young you think it's impossible, so you dream about it," Medvedev said after his win over Pablo Andujar on Thursday. "When it gets closer to you, you dream less about it and do more to achieve it."
After his quarterfinal win, Medvedev took time to address the Russia-Ukraine military conflict in his post-game message. "As a tennis player I want to promote peace all over the world," the Russian told Reuters. "We play in many different countries. I've been to many different countries as a junior and a pro. It's not easy hearing all this news. I'm all for peace."
Medvedev said he was distracted by the news all day on Thursday and found it difficult to concentrate on his match that night. As the conflict escalated, it was distracting as he prepared for his semi-final match against Nadal. "At the moment, you understand that tennis is sometimes not so important," Medvedev said. "Definitely not easy to play."